Glenn Evan Tisdale Sr., 96, a resident of Severna Park, passed away on February 27, 2021 at his home, surrounded by his family, after a battle with the passage of time.

He was born in Madison, Wisconsin on July 4, 1924 to Wendell and Elizabeth Tisdale, who met at the University of Wisconsin. His mother was from Milwaukee and she was attending the University as an undergraduate. His father had journeyed north from Bluff Springs, Florida to do graduate work and get a Ph.D. in plant biology.

Glenn was born during the age of the radio. He grew up during the lean years of the Great Depression and got his early education as a technologist with vacuum tubes that he pulled from junk piles. Like so many of his generation, his schooling was interrupted by the War, and he joined Navy V12. He cranked through his college career at Yale at an expedited rate and sailed for Guam, where he helped run the power station.

The America that he came back to was a booming place, particularly if you loved technology, which he very much did. He returned to Yale, where he got a Ph.D. as an electrical engineer and then spent the next three decades developing electronic systems for military aerospace. During that time the space program had taken center stage and the country was aggressively developing the technology that would lead to the computer revolution that still continues. He was one of the pioneers of information technology at Westinghouse Electric (now Northrop Grumman) and he developed some of the earliest image processing algorithms.

What he found to be tantalizing was biology. He saw in biological systems reflections of the algorithms that he had been developing for artificial intelligence. At the root of this was his desire to beat biology at its own game. In that he was ahead of his time, but not by much.

When he wasn't working to invent the future, he loved to play music. He was capable on several instruments but particularly enjoyed relaxing with the piano. He also came from a family of visual artists, and he painted extensively with oil, pastel and watercolor.

He leaves behind a very loving and happy marriage of 60 years to Patricia Peake Tisdale, whom he met while working in Florida. Their courtship was very short, but their marriage was a beautiful long one. They continued to live in Florida for several years and then moved north to Maryland where they spent several years in Towson. In 1970 they moved to Severna Park where they have been ever since. They both loved living in Severna Park and enjoyed sailing and rowing on the Severn River and walking everywhere in the town. In the later years their best fun was spending summers and fall in their home on Cape Cod, walking on every beach and in every village.

He will be missed by his wife and their two children, Glenn Jr. and Lisa, a great deal. His family was his center point, his children his greatest delight and focus of his attention. He encouraged and helped them to develop their various interests in many directions. He was the best father a child could imagine. We all feel privileged beyond measure to have known him as a husband, father, counselor, teacher, tennis partner and friend.

We plan to have a Celebration of Life service when we can all come together safely.

Memorial Contributions may be made to SPAN, Inc., 400 Benfield Rd., Severna Park, MD 21146.