George Stephenson's Obituary
George Stephenson, Jr. died peacefully on April 5, 2008 at the age of 84. He was born in Tacoma WA on May 3, 1923 to Alma and George Stephenson, Sr. George lived and attended school in Pysht, WA and Ashford, WA before his parents settled permanently in Spanaway, WA on Spanaway Lake. He attended Kapowsin High School and graduated in 1942. In April of 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a Radar Operator with Battery D, 119th AAA Gun Battalion in Europe during WWII. He participated in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns. Upon returning home in December of 1945, he met his future wife Louise. They were married in January 1946. George built a home, which was completed in 1952, using only hand tools. At the time of his death, he and Louise had been married for 62 years and had lived in that home for 56 years. George worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad, which eventually became the Burlington Northern, for 35 years. He retired in 1981. George loved boating. He and Louise belonged to the Viking Yacht Club and owned a 32 foot Fairliner, named "Grumpy Lou II". George built a flying bridge for it in his garage. George participated in the Coast Guard Auxiliary for many years, assisting the active Coast Guard with boater assistance patrols, teaching classes on boating navigation and safety, and conducting pleasure boat inspections. He was also a member of the Lakewood Elks Lodge. He was willing to help anyone who needed assistance. He is survived by his wife Louise, his sister Ruth Beck, his daughters Linda Harper, Pamela Peters (husband Philip), and Martie Van Patten (special friend Bob), 5 grandchildren, Stephanie, Jason, Matthew, Nicholas and Dustin, and 4 great-grandchildren, Zackery, Dylan, Aunna and Caitlin. A memorial for George will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, April 19, 2008 in the Mountain View Valley Chapel, 4100 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood WA, 253-584-0252. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.
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