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Note: Though he was born in South Dakota, his family lived in Nebraska until he was 11 years of age, at which time they moved out to Idaho. This was during the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl days when not much of anything was going well in the United States of America. The move out West began when his oldest brother Wesley had gone ahead to Idaho. Uncle Dave Brewer had previously moved out there , and then sent for Wesley to come out. Sometime after that, Wesley came back to Nebraska and he and his next two brothers Clarence and Roy loaded up a few things for life on the road, plus a big lunch and all three moved to Idaho. In 1931, the rest of the family joined them.
For about a year, his Father Lewis, Mother Tillie, he and brothers Gene & Lloyd plus sister Florence lived in a tent outside Boise. For a living, they cut down trees and chopped firewood to sell in Boise. What a tough time that was -- Winter temperatures in Idaho can get below zero and stay there for days or even weeks at a time.
During WWII, George served his country in the war effort by working aboard a Merchant Marine ship, where he learned the trade of electrician.
After leaving the service, George worked and for with his brother-in-law, Kenny Hoyt, and brother Claude Hoyt, as an electrician. Sadly though, seizure activity brought on by the blow to the head during his youth caused George to have to medically abandon his electrical employment.
For about 4-5 years, George worked at the Broadway Dairy for his brother Clarence. During this time, he experienced seizures, and due to the equipment becoming more and more dangerous, had to leave this employment.
At the time George worked for the dairy, his family was quite young, and because his home was in close proximity to his employment, he rode his bicycle to work and back and came home each day for lunch. His children loved their Daddy so very much, and theirs was a very close relationship with wonderful memories.
George was an extremely talented artist. He loved to draw people and was extremely good at it! He also loved to draw cartoon characters, and characterizations of close family and friends (along with himself). George also loved classical music, and ballroom dance as well as telling jokes and stories. He was a gregarious sort (true to the Irish in his blood), and loved to party.
George was about 6' tall, broad-shouldered, slim in build with long arms and legs. He was a gentle, patient, charming, sensitive man, who was known as a nice guy. George was an extremely handsome and devoted family man, who adored his wife and children. His most well known saying was this "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." That is how he lived his life. To know him, was to love him.
George loved animals and children, and was very kind and affectionate to all who came to know him. During the 1950's, a porcupine came down out of the hills, and donated an abundance of quills to several of the neighborhood dogs and cats. Since he was home on his day off on this particular day, his and all the other neighborhood children brought their animals to him to have these quills removed. George patiently, kindly and gently removed the quills of all the pets who were brought to him. This was typical of him and his ways.
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