Glenis Muriel Ellis Lanning

Glenis Muriel Ellis was born on August 19, 1925 to Scott Gwyer Ellis and Annie Florence Mae Lamb Ellis, and lived on a farm nine miles from the village of Foxwarren, Manitoba, Canada until she was 18 years old. In 1957, Glenis left Canada to attend Harvard University, where she earned her HRPBA (Harvard Radcliffe Program in Business Administration). Upon completion of her studies, Glenis moved to San Francisco, California, where she lived for 22 years, becoming an American citizen in 1962. She married Milton Thompson Bard, whom she met at the First Unitarian Church in San Francisco in 1964. In 1968, she began full-time study at San Francisco State University and was awarded her Masters in Psychology in 1972. She taught in community colleges in the San Francisco Bay area until she moved to Salinas, California, with her husband, who moved there to teach at Hartnnell College. In 1982, Glenis was employed in the Intergovernmental Affairs Division of the Monterey County Administrative Office, where she worked until her retirement in 1989. Upon her retirement, she was commended by resolution of the State of California Senate Rules Committee for her professional and civic dedication, exemplified by her selection as the 1987 Monterey County Employee of the Year and the 1989 Named Gift Recipient of the Central Coast District of the American Association of University Women. In 1989, she moved with her husband to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and in 1994, to Olympia, Washington. Glenis enjoyed a life-long passion for music, and involvement as a performer and a listener. She loved to play the piano for sing-alongs. She also sang in many choral groups during her lifetime. In Olympia, she was a member of the Board of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, the Capital City Newcomers, and the Barnes Lake Park Owners Association, serving as Secretary on all three boards. She loved the beauty of the Olympia area, and the close proximity to Puget Sound and the ocean. Glenis passed away February 24, 2017. She is survived by her husband, George Lanning, whom she married in 2011; her youngest brother, Burton Trueman Ellis, who lives in Canada; eight nieces and nephews; and many grand-nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Milton Thompson Bard; three younger brothers, Melvin Rupert Ellis, who was killed in the Vietnam War, Donald Scott Ellis in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Wilmer Dennis Ellis in Calgary, Alberta. Please leave memories of Glenis or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.