Glenn Negen

***The video recorded funeral service may be viewed on the First Reformed Church Facebook page***

Glenn Negen, age 73, of Willmar, passed away unexpectedly at his residence on Wednesday October 7, from natural causes.

A celebration of life service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the First Reformed Church in Willmar.  Interment will be at Roseland Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, at the American Legion in Willmar .  Military honors will be provided by the Willmar American Legion and V.F.W. Honor Guards.  Law Enforcement honors will be provided by the Willmar Police Department and Kandiyohi County Sheriffs Department.   Arrangements are with Peterson Brothers Funeral Home.   www.petersonbrothers.com

Glenn Negen was born on December 20, 1946, in Willmar, Minnesota, the son of Martin and Ruby (Brouwer) Negen.  He grew up on a farm in rural Blomkest, attended grade school in Blomkest and graduated from Willmar High School in 1964.  Glenn enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1965 to 1969.  He served with Inshore Undersea Warfare Groups 1 & 2 and spent November 1966 to November 1967 with the IUWG-1 unit 3 in Quin Lon South Viet Nam.  He received unit citations and letters of commendation.

In 1973, Glenn joined the Willmar Police Department and served as a patrol officer.  In a career of almost 35 years, Glenn retired as the Senior Sergeant in the department and received numerous awards over the years.  In August 2001, the United States Martial Arts Association named him to their Hall of Fame as Law Enforcement Instructor of the Year.  In 2003, the Association of Training Officers of Minnesota (ATOM) named Glenn as their Hall of Fame Law Enforcement Instructor of the Year.  In 2005, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association awarded Glenn with their Medal of Honor following a shots fired-stolen vehicle pursuit.

Glenn has been involved in Judo and Jujitsu since 1964.  He has earned Black Belts in the Martial Arts of Judo, Jujitsu, Karate and Tae Kwando.  Glenn always said he wanted to stay active until it wasn't fun anymore.

In 1976, Glenn was married to Theresa Lippert and to this union they were blessed with four sons.  In addition to working at the Willmar PD, Glenn worked as an adjunct Instructor at Ridgewater College for over 30 years in the Law Enforcement and EMS programs.  Glenn had a passion for training police officers.  He later worked part-time for Peart & Associates for over 20 years.  Glenn loved camping, fishing and spending time with his grandchildren.  For all the awards Glenn received, the most special was his church (First Reformed Church) choosing him as an Elder twice.

He is survived by his four sons, Gabriel (and Trisha) Lippert-Negen of Spicer, Jamison Lippert-Negen (and Caroline Helou) of Chanhassen, Joshua (and Kelly) Lippert-Negen of Blaine and Lucas Lippert-Negen (and Meghan Doll) of Hutchinson; five grandchildren, Brieana, Ian, Cooper, Lydia and Mason.  Also surviving are two brothers, Dean (and Gladys) Negen of Blomkest and Jerry (and Debbi) Negen of Willmar; and his ex-wife, Theresa Lippert Rieth of Spicer, besides other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Dale.