SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The violence in the Middle East has claimed the life of a former Utah Navy Seal. Glen Doherty who loved skiing the slopes of the Beehive State is being remembered by those who knew him best.
“I met Glen backcountry skiing and snowboarding in the fall of 1990,” said Mark Ellefsen, his friend. “He was like a brother to me.”
Doherty is remembered as a tough guy with a teddy bear heart who worked hard and played hard. “Snowbird was his favorite place to play,” said Ellefsen. “I think when he really wanted to relax and forget about work, he always came back to Utah.”
Ellefsen got to know him well while Doherty lived in the Beehive State in the ‘90s. “We'd go up top and hike around and tried to make the best of the new snowfall as dangerous as it might be,” said Ellefsen. “Glen was definitely wired for the greatest challenges.”
It was that need for challenge that drove Doherty to become a Navy Seal. He went on to travel the world, serving his country in often dangerous places.
“Glen’s been in the craziest situation in the world and he always comes back,” said Ellefsen. “So after he's shown us that virtual invincibility enough times you just start to believe that he’s always going to be fine.”
But his recent mission in Libya, would be his last. The former Utahn was one of the Americans killed alongside Ambassador Chris Stevens in a fiery attack at the U.S. Consulate.
“He risked his own life to make sure everybody got out safely and that's the essence of Glen Doherty right there,” said Ellefsen.
On Friday, Doherty's body returned home to the land he loved to protect. His sister summed his life up one way.
"Glen lived his life to the fullest,” she said.
