W. GLEN MANGHAM

September 14, 1938 — October 7, 2024

In Celebration

(Was held as planned, and wonderfully so. Thanks to all who were able to attend. The below remains here for posterity.)

Saturday, December 7, 2024, 11am | Gathering, Storytelling & Interment

Forest Park Cemetery, Shreveport, LA

If you’re reading this you’re someone that meant a lot to him. Please join the Mangham Family in shining a light on this man who meant so much to so many.

This will be a warm and decidedly casual affair. A gathering of family and friends he will assuredly smile upon. We’ll shed tears, tell tales, and have laughs. Ideally in that order.

After a half-hour or so of all that and a chorus of goodbyes to Glen, we’ll have an extended tour with a bite to eat and some requisite toasts at one of his favorite restaurants, Frank’s Pizza Napoletana.

We’ll check our tears at the door and embrace one another as well as this opportunity he has granted us—albeit inadvertently—to connect, fill our hearts, and return to our daily lives with a little more gratitude and resilience.

As you would expect, this is rain or shine. There will be a tent and chairs for whatever early December holds, which is looking like 50° and rain. Reason for the occasion aside, we look forward to seeing you.

Click for Google Map Directions | Click for Map to Grave Site

Outside of his career, Glen pursued many passions. He frequently set sail from the Shreveport Yacht Club, skillfully navigating a two-to-four-crew Ensign or soloing his favorite 15.5-foot Snipe around Cross Lake, often returning with trophies from weekend regattas. A certified aerobatic pilot, he was skilled in advanced maneuvers including loops, rolls, and hammerhead stalls. He was also an accomplished sailplane pilot, ultimately earning a Gold Badge for soaring (unpowered) 7 hours and 45 minutes straight, which, incidentally, is also the amount of time he could talk about aerodynamics if you let him. He rounded out his adventurous spirit with a love for motorbikes, notably favoring the enduros that further reflected his character: road-wise, trail-tested.

Glen was, for a time, an enthusiastic fan of Formula 1 racing, though he would attest to losing interest as the technology advanced beyond the deafening and less predictable machines he preferred. His enduring fandom, however, was reserved for LSU football, bookended by the Heismans of Cannon and Daniels. He would Geaux Tigers every season, loyal to the end, even though far too many squads fell short of his purple and gold standard.

Though it was a topic he reserved for those closest to him, Glen’s faith was informed by various religions, spiritual practices, and philosophies he contemplated over the course of decades in the congregation of First Methodist, the community of All Souls Unitarian and, most commonly, the solitude of his armchair surrounded by books.

Glen is survived by his son, Colin Mangham, and wife Missy; grandchildren, Phoebe Mangham and Fox Henry Mangham; sister, Carolyn Mangham Leslie; and nephews, Mickey Simpson and Scott Leslie. He is also survived by loving stepchildren with whom he maintained meaningful relationships: Jim Carmack and wife Phyllis; Debbie Thomas and husband Robin, children, and grandchild; with the aforementioned via his marriage to the late Betty Lynn (née Allen), also mother to Colin; as well as Patrick Blotzer and wife Stephanie; and Tony Blotzer and children; with the aforementioned via his marriage to Mary Lynn (née Sievers).

A celebration of Glen’s life, featuring fewer words than he might have preferred, was held on December 7, 2024, at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Northeast Abyssinian Rescue. Tell them Tig sent you.