Glenn J Catchpole

It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce Glenn Catchpole’s passing on April 2, 2026, at Central Wyoming Hospice from Alzheimer's and cardiovascular complications. Services will be held at the First United Methodist Church at 9am on Monday, April 13, 2026.

Glenn was a combat veteran, a nuclear industry proponent, a bird hunter, a traveler of the world, a youth sports coach, and, most importantly, a loving husband, father, and grandfather. His quiet, thoughtful presence reassured those around him, and he could always be counted on to do the right thing. He loved military history, engineering, aviation, traveling the world, building the family cabin, and attending any and all of his grandkids’ events. He had a strong sense of adventure, from wanting to fly airplanes off an aircraft carrier to starting his own uranium mining companies to running a uranium mine in Kazakhstan.

Born on September 1, 1943, in a small log cabin in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, he grew up in Wyoming, Colorado, and California, before finally arriving in Cody, Wyoming, at the start of his junior year in high school. He met his future wife, Judy Simonton, as his family unpacked their belongings at their new Cody home. Glenn played basketball, football, baseball and ran track for the Cody Broncs.

Glenn attended the University of Wyoming, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, and with the Vietnam War ongoing, he volunteered for service in the United States Navy. He reported for duty at Officer Candidate’s School in Newport, Rhode Island, before attending flight school in Pensacola, Florida. Ultimately assigned to Squadron 114 in San Diego, California, as the radar intercept officer (“back seater”) in the F-4 fighter aircraft, he subsequently made two combat deployments to Vietnam aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. He flew over 200 combat missions during these two combat deployments. He then taught Naval ROTC in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico, where he and Judy had their first daughter, Glenda.

Departing the Navy, he, Judy, Glenda, and their springer spaniel, Tico, loaded up the red Toyota Land Cruiser enroute to Fort Collins, Colorado, where he earned his master’s degree at Colorado State University. Their son, Fred, was born while they lived in married student housing. He and Judy often commented that it was full home…with two kids and a “fun-loving” springer spaniel who had puppies, all living in a 1-bedroom student apartment. Packing their car upon graduation and starting a new job in Denver, they soon found a home and neighborhood they loved.

Their third child, Katie, was then born in Denver before they moved to Cheyenne as Glenn began work at the Department of Environmental Quality. There, they met lifelong friends while living on Ranger Drive. Summer nights were filled with the parents socializing while the neighborhood kids rode their Big Wheels down the steep street.

The Catchpole family then moved to Casper, Wyoming, where Glenn began his career in the uranium mining and production sector. Working for small and large, public and private, uranium production companies, Glenn spent the remainder of his professional career as an advocate and proponent for nuclear power. He was proud to have helped galvanize the uranium industry in Wyoming, including starting his own companies, Altaire Resources, and later Uranerz, where he got to work with his daughter, Glenda. This was a career highlight for him as they worked closely together to permit, build and operate an ISR uranium production site between Casper and Gillette. Throughout his career, he served on a number of boards and commissions focused on the state’s uranium development.

Glenn loved his wife, children, and nine grandchildren, always the first to be at any of their events, from concerts to recitals to presentations to competitions to games. Nothing brought a smile to Glenn’s face more than being around his grandkids. He coached his own children’s soccer, t-ball, football, and basketball teams, and he spent years on the board of the Casper Hockey Club when the rink used to be in the old fairgrounds barn. He’d often recall all the parents standing under the one and only space heater in the entire rink…all hoping to say warm on those cold, dark January nights. He had wonderful friends, laughs, and memories of his time with youth hockey in Casper.

Glenn’s quiet, calming, and reassuring presence will be missed. He quietly and consistently read bedtime stories to each of his grandkids. Never one to get flustered or upset, he had a wonderful, big heart that always served others before self. He could always be counted on for sage, helpful advice, and communicated best with his letters and emails to his kids and grandkids. Finally, he loved designing and building the family cabin outside of Laramie, a place that brought joy, solace, and fun for his entire family over the past two decades. He was most at peace in the mountains by the firepit, especially when surrounded by his grandchildren. In the outdoors and mountains, Glenn truly loved bird hunting, trips to Springer and South Dakota, elk hunting, skiing, and fishing.

Glenn is preceded in death by his wife (Judy Simonton Catchpole), father (Myron Catchpole) and mother (Elaine Blacker), as well as his older brother (Fred Catchpole) and older sister (Sally Hager). He is survived by his children Glenda Thomas, Fred Catchpole (Beth), and Katie Finnoff (David), as well as his grandchildren: Kassidy, Tristy, Brax, and Dax Thomas; Jackson and Ella Catchpole; and Tatum, Tyler, and Tass Finnoff, and nephew Ken (Doreen) Hager.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Catchpole for Kids scholarship or the Casper Hockey Club nonprofit for the new ice sheet at Put Casper on Ice 2. Checks can be mailed to Glenda Thomas at PO Box 2302, Casper, WY, 82602.