Glenn Keiji Iwasaki

Glenn Keiji Iwasaki, beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and cousin, passed away on November 6, 2024, while listening to his favorite band, The Grateful Dead. For twenty years, Glenn faced Parkinson’s with quiet strength, never wanting to burden anyone.

To quote Jerry Garcia, “What a long strange trip it’s been.” Indeed, it has.

Glenn was born on May 3, 1946, the third child and youngest son of Haruye and Iwao Iwasaki in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from West High School and went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah’s Law School in 1971. Glenn had decided to become a lawyer at the age of 14, eventually becoming the 13th ethnic minority admitted to the Utah State Bar.

He began his career as a trial attorney with the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association before forming a partnership at Collard, Pixton, Iwasaki & Downes law firm. Glenn also served as Deputy County Attorney and later as the unit chief for the Special Victims Prosecution Unit.

In July 1992, Glenn was appointed as Utah’s second minority Judge in Utah’s Third District Court. He was honored as Judge of the Year by the Utah State Bar in 2008. When not in the courtroom, Glenn served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Utah and sat on the Board of Trustees for the S.J. Quinney College of Law Alumni Association.

Throughout his career, Glenn held several significant roles, including Chair of the Youth Parole Authority, member of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, and member of the Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness.

While Glenn’s career in law and civil service was remarkable, his passions extended beyond the courtroom. A lover of all sports, he never left a Sports Illustrated magazine unread. He enjoyed discussing sports and filling out his March Madness brackets each spring. Glenn was an avid reader of biographies and autobiographies, always pursuing his love of learning about musicians, cultural icons, and history’s movers and shakers.

Though Glenn found fulfillment in his professional accomplishments, he was first and foremost a family man. He showed this through his love for his wife, Marian, his three children, five grandchildren, his parents, two siblings, his cats, Bertha and Stella, and his nieces, nephews, and cousins. He also kept a tight-knit circle of lifelong friends and colleagues, some of whom he had known since his youth.

He is survived by his wife, Marian; his children, Scott Iwasaki (Tamra), Marnie Mish (Martin), and Raquel Austin (Jedd), all of Salt Lake City; and his grandchildren, Allyson Iwasaki of Atlanta, Georgia; Sydney Austin of Salt Lake City; Kaitlyn Duehlmeier (Dylan) of Salt Lake City; Cy Austin of Chicago, Illinois; and Emily Mish of Salt Lake City.

He is also survived by his siblings, Hiro Iwasaki (Elaine) of Salt Lake City and Beverly Saito (Spencer) of Mission Viejo, California, and their children.

Glenn was preceded in death by his parents, in-laws, and his brother-in-law, Spencer Saito.

A celebration of Glenn’s life will be held at a later date, where family and friends will gather to honor the remarkable life he lived.

If you would like, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Glenn’s memory to “and Justice for all,” a nonprofit committed to providing free and low-cost legal services to Utah’s most vulnerable citizens. Donations can be sent to 960 S. Main Street, SLC, Utah 84104, or made online at andjusticeforall.org/donate.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” ~Bob Marley