George F Persons

The passing of one parent is rough, but to have both parents gone in a span of a month is heart-breaking.  George and Marilyn Persons were to have celebrated their 68 ^th anniversary on July 26 ^th .  Unfortunately, Marilyn passed away suddenly on July 22 ^nd and George had no desire to carry on without his beloved Marilyn, and he passed on August 22 ^nd .

Marilyn had just celebrated her 90 ^th birthday three weeks prior with many family members joining in the fun.  So many people reached out to wish her well with cards, letters, and love.  She received over 100 well wishes from around the Country.  George enjoyed the party as well, at 94, swimming in the pool, enjoying the huge spread of food, and of course, birthday cake.

Both Marilyn and George were born in Elyria, Ohio.  Marilyn has a brother, James (wife BJ) Collier of California.  Both of George’s siblings, Chuck (Sue) Persons and Dave (Ellie) Persons are deceased.

It is a wonder how George and Marilyn got together as Marilyn went to the Ohio State University and George went to Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.  After graduating from Elyria High School in 1943, George joined the Navy where he served on the USS Chincoteague, a seaplane tender, during WWII.  Upon graduating from their respective universities, George and Marilyn were wed at the First Congregational Church in Elyria, in 1952.  George had earned a BS in Math and Marilyn in Business Administration.

George joined his father, C.A. Persons and two brothers, in the family lumber and concrete business.  He was also on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Ready Mixed Concrete Association for 11 years.  The man knew his concrete!

While raising their four children, Kim (Bill) Collins – deceased of Austin, Texas,  Terri (Doug) Haynes of Plano, Texas, Gregg (deceased) and Miriam of Hudsonville, Michigan, and Michele (Mike) Muhlheim of Farragut, Tennessee, Marilyn spent 22 years as a hospital volunteer before she retuned to get the degree she always dreamed of – and to become a registered nurse.  It was a great day to see her in her cap and gown and then in her nursing uniform for the first time.

Both Marilyn and George enjoyed sailing, golfing, gardening, and especially snorkeling on the reefs; while George had fun fishing and hunting with some of his favorite buddies, Marilyn enjoyed getting together with her gal pals in PEO and playing bridge with her other lady friends.  George was active in the Power Squadron and taught several classes for many years.  They both loved entertaining and being a part of gourmet dining-in groups.  If there was an opportunity to have a party or go to one, Marilyn and George were all in!

Their moves from Elyria, Ohio to Houston, Texas, to Longmont, Colorado, to Las Vegas, Nevada, to Charlotte, North Carolina and on to Allen, Texas gave them so many opportunities to make friends and many wonderful memories.   Their last church home found George and Marilyn at Custer Road United Methodist Church and in the Pathfinder’s Sunday School class.  There were countless times that this nurturing group reached out to Marilyn and George to not only help them get situated in their new city, but to make them feel a part of the community as a whole.   Marilyn and George were blessed beyond measure by their friends at Custer Road.

Leaving behind eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, George and Marilyn had a wonderful full life and will be missed by many.

If there is any interest in contributing to the outreach of Custer Road Methodist that created a lifeline to both George and Marilyn for the past four years, please feel free to send to:

Treasured Times, Custer Road UMC

6601 Custer Road

Plano, TX  75023