Glenn E. Mowery | GE engineer, 74

Glenn E. Mowery, 74, of Pottstown, a retired General Electric engineer, died of complications from lung cancer Friday at home.

Mr. Mowery played basketball and baseball for Newville High School in Cumberland County. When his elbow was shattered in a semipro baseball game, his dream of becoming a major league pitcher ended, his wife, Amy Loy Mowery, said.

He enlisted in the Navy and worked on electrical systems aboard ships in the Great Lakes.

After his discharge, he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He then joined GE in Syracuse, N.Y. In 1967, he transferred to the company's space division and worked for GE in Philadelphia and Valley Forge until retiring in the mid-1990s. His NASA projects included designing seats for the space shuttle.

He returned to baseball when his children were growing up in Malvern, and taught boys to pitch in the Great Valley Little League, his wife said. In 1972, he coached a team to the district finals. He also coached youth basketball and football.

In recent years, he volunteered in the reading program at Lionville School and tutored teenagers in math who were preparing for the PSAT and SAT tests.

He enjoyed duplicate bridge, golf, gardening, and attending his three grandsons' activities.

In addition to his grandsons and his childhood sweetheart and wife of 53 years, he is survived by a son, Gilbert, and a daughter, Chelle Carlson.

A celebration of his life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, where he was a Sunday school and adult education teacher, an elder and congregational president, 89 Line Rd., Malvern.