(Levi) Warren Church was Glenn Church's Father. He was born 10/19/29 and passed away 9/2/2017.
Below is a copy of his obituary as printed in the Monterey Herald. Warren was without any doubt an amazingly engaged person who lived an incredibly busy and likely very fulfilling life. That said there are a few things we are going to point out that give rise to some concerns that may help us understand Glenn Church and little better, or at very least ask some questions that would not otherwise been obvious to ask.
The suggestion is to read the article first while generally ignoring the comments on the right. Then start at the top again with the comments.
https://www.montereyherald.com/obituaries/warren-church-royal-oaks-ca/
The articles starts by introducing (Levi) Warren Church as "a Christmas tree grower and civic leader. He had also been a teacher, beekeeper, and nursery supplier."
Sounds like realtively simple man and nearly identical to the way Glenn Church, his son, presented himself during his campaign. However, when you see the full scope of his worldly accolades, you will realize that is an egregiously simplistic description of his work and his life.
It's presumed Warren and whoever wrote his obituary, viewed such a summary as being humble.
However, the problem with that approach as part of a public servant political campaign is that it's genuinely deceptive if the full scope of life's work and financial interests are not disclosed.
What might be great for an obituary or introduction at a small meeting in a donut shop is NOT what would be expected in a political campaign. Too much Humble can easily turn into a slice or more of fraud if context and disclosure requirements are ignored.
The reference to a "nursery supplier" here is relevant too. Glenn represented himself as having run his own businesses since he was 18, inclusive of Christmas Trees, landscape supply and Pacific Coast Soils. Given those, it's hard to imagine he wasn't in fact a 2nd (or more) generation businessman. There seems to be no material difference in his dad's work and his at 18. While Glenn may have gotten into a lot of Consulting work or grown a family business, the fact of the matter is that opportunity sprouted directly from his dad (or so it seems today).
Warren Church's work with parks and libraries is admirable. However when "the first family planning program" , 'the first growth guidelines", and "The Overburdened Ark" are combined -- that creates an uncomfortable feeling for some of us who do not ascribe to "Eugenics" -- the belief that humans must manage the population in various ways.
For those not aware, the word Eugenics and self identifying as Eugenicist was socially acceptable until just after World War 2 . At that time, representations made about concentration camps , lesser races and the need to exterminate some painted Eugenicists in a shadow. After that, in the United States and presumably elsewhere, they generally shifted to talking about and supporting "family planning" outwardly -- while some may have continued to profess Eugenics in private confines.
Thus, this suggests Glenn Church may have been raised with Eugenics beliefs -- and that is something critical to understand for anyone who runs for public office -- as there are things related to food, water, medicine and pharmaceutical management that Eugenicists might support that some of us might find abhorrent.
Finally, how many of us have grandparents worthy of three books about their Ancestry? Who were they?
Given Warrren was born and died on Hidden Valley Road and that is the mailing address for Glenn, we can assume (right or wrong) the property he's in now was owned by his Grandparents, if not more. It's interesting that he went to high School in King City as opposed to the home in hIdden Valley. That's about half way between Monterey and Paso Robles.
His athleticism and commercial prowess were clearly on display as a teenager. 200 bee colony's by age 18 while also buying and selling his "first piece of property" at age 18 and doubling his money is extremely noteworthy.
How many people do you know who have been able to double there money on a purchase and sale over any period of time, much less what may have been a year or less?
His military service in Korea just a few year later is then certainly noteworthy too. Military bonds formed like that often last a lifetime and they create commercial networks across states and countries that are hard to create otherwise.
It seems after the Korean war he engaged in college three different times and ways, albeit hard to discern what happened when nor what he studied. Teaching certificates likely were not required back then so it may not have been education.
In 1959 he would have been 30 years old. How many 30 year old's do you know who had the money and time to grow Christmas Trees in states 1500 and 3000 miles away at a time when air travel would have been exceptionally expensive? This part is interesting for sure. It seems like something is being left out?
And 46 government boards with a combined service time of 150 years along with the Supervisor role, local organizations, military networks and commercial farming across the country may have made him one of the more diversely networked men in the County if not the state or country at that time?
This part is a bit confusing. It sounds like Warren was married at least three times, with one being before Glenn's mother and then he was with Glenns mother until Glenn was about 17 or so or it's possible that this is only referring to two wives, and Glenns mother had a daughter when she married Warren.
"from his first marriage, Cheri Bailey of Nampa Idaho" - unclear if that is Glenn's mom or another woman prior. If prior, they were together and divorced between age 22 and 29 or so.
"He married Marjorie (Wells) Church in 1958 (at age 29). They had one son and divorced in 1975" -- that is presumed to be Glenn.
<other wives may or may not have been in here>
"Warren is survived by his wife Nadine (Artana) Minjoulet Church".
The reason this may or may not be interesting is that from Land records and comments, it seems Glenn may have had at least three wives and there seems to have been little time off between them.
A Humble biography opener...
"Church was born in 1929. He was a Christmas tree grower and civic leader. He had also been a teacher, beekeeper, and nursery supplier.
A more accurate biography opener...
(Levi) Warren Church was born in 1929. From young age he excelled in athletics, education and commerce, flipping his first property for 100% profit by age 18 while managing over 200 bee colonies. He then went off to the Korean War where he earned metals and commendations for superior service, -- after which he returned home -- got married and started Christmas tree farming prior to age 30 -- eventually growing that into a cross country business with farms in California, Minnesota and Massachusetts while also growing out a nursery business and teaching school. Church was equally as active in public service serving on 47 boards with over 150 years of combined service.
An obituary that was stretched into a few pages, when condensed, exposes a commercial powerhouse with national and potentially international commercial networks. This is something most would be extremely proud of. Is this story about humility for humilities sake or to mask, hide or protect other facts about family ties that they just would prefer to keep private?
The choice to present this information in an Obituary is obviously that of Warren or his family.
However, the concern now is that Glenn obviously used a similar biography for himself -- he then carelessly exposed far more about himself over three years with errantly thought out and filed SEI 700 forms -- and just how much more might be missing from his SEI 700 disclosures today?
Exactly how much property did his dad purchase and own during his life ? What happened to the Christmas Tree farms in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and El Dorado County? Where they sold off? Are they still in the family ? How much did Warren leave to his only son, and what states (and countries) might that include?
Glenn has a history that exposes strong statments and actions against County growth -- while espousing fair housing -- and he owns stock in Pfizer -- which is something those with eugenics mindsets will gravitate to. Glenn seems to own commercial property around a hospital complex that was not properly disclosed initially and he owns "condominiums" in an Antique Mall in Monterey on a floor where supposedly no condominiums are sold to others.
Democracy and public governance is a percarious system that only has a prayer of working if those elected are honest about their economic and financial interests so others can assess and cross check any selfish or self centered behavior. None of that can transpire if a canditate provides a "humble" biography and incomplete disclosures after that fact.
Given these facts it seems every legislative decision that has transpired related to Monterey County since Glenn's Inauguration on 1/3/2023 needs to be rolled back and/or analyzied for benefits in ways that none could have fully understood without all this background.
Yes, Levi Warren Church (often known as Warren Church), the former Monterey County Supervisor, did author several books focused on genealogy and local history. Based on available references, the three books specifically about family ancestry that trace lineages back to early California settlers (including the 1850s and potentially earlier through New England connections) are:
American Ancestry of L. Warren Church (1984)
en.wikipedia.org
— This covers his own ancestry, including 44 New England settler families such as Karner, Younglove, Belden, Kellogg, and Terry, with ties to early California history.
American Ancestry of Clinton M. King: Descendant of John King of Northampton (2002)
en.wikipedia.org
— Focused on a family descendant's lineage, linking back to colonial and early California roots.
The American Ancestry of Sarah Elizabeth Raymond Church (2006)
en.wikipedia.org
— Detailing the ancestry of his wife (or a relative), with historical connections to California from the mid-1800s onward.
American Ancestry of L. Warren Church (1984)
Full title: American Ancestry of L. Warren Church I: Covering 44 New England Settler Families, Including Karner, Younglove, Belden, Kellogg and Terry. This traces the author's own ancestry back to various New England settler families.
Links:
FamilySearch catalog entry: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/290834
Richard Church (1601-1667) married Anne Marsh in 1627, and immigrated from England to Boston, Massachusetts in 1632/1633, moving in 1636 to Hartford, Connecticut, moving to Hadley, Massachusetts in 1659. Descendants (listed alphabetically by surname, chronologically by given name) lived in New England, California, Texas and elsewhere.
Includes Bartlett, Church, Karner, Younglove, Belden, Kellogg, Terry, Bartlett and other related families.
Digitized version (viewable online with a free account): https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/213576-american-ancestry-of-l-warren-church-i-covering-44-new-england-settler-families-including-karner-younglove-belden-kellogg-and-terry?offset=19
No other digital or purchase links found.
American Ancestry of Clinton M. King (2002)
Full title: American Ancestry of Clinton M. King: Descendant of John King of Northampton
This traces the ancestry of Clinton Manley King (1857–1925), a descendant of John King of Northampton, Massachusetts.
Links:
FamilySearch catalog entry: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1061794
No digitized version or other links found; physical copies may be available in some genealogy libraries (e.g., via interlibrary loan from FamilySearch affiliates).
American Ancestry of Sarah Elizabeth Raymond Church (2006)
Full title: American Ancestry of Sarah Elizabeth Raymond: Descendant of John Raymond of Beverly, Massachusetts
This traces the ancestry of Sarah Elizabeth Raymond (1858–1938), wife of Clinton M. King and descendant of John Raymond of Beverly, Massachusetts.
Links:
FamilySearch catalog entry: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1324589
Digitized version (viewable online with a free account): https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/107949-american-ancestry-of-sarah-elizabeth-raymond-descendant-of-john-raymond-of-beverly-massachusetts?offset=5
No other digital or purchase links found.
These books are referenced in Warren Church's Wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Church_(politician)) as part of his bibliography, which aligns with your mention of Wikipedia as a possible source. If you're unable to access the FamilySearch versions or need physical copies, I recommend checking local genealogy libraries, the Monterey County Historical Society (given Church's connection to Monterey County, CA), or WorldCat https://www.worldcat.org for library holdings.