George Saunders

George Saunders was born on July 13, 1916, in Cedar Falls, Iowa to Austin and Catherine Saunders. After graduating high school in Manilla, George moved to San Francisco where he managed Shell Oil stations for several years. In June, 1941, he married Ruth White of Manilla. In 1943, George was drafted for World War II and served at Los Alamos, New Mexico. At the end of the war, he and Ruth returned to Manilla where he operated the Manilla Machine Shop with Ray Jorgensen. While in Manilla, he was active in the Masonic Lodge, American Legion and Presbyterian Church. George was drafted a second time for the Korean War. After 9 months, he was discharged when the army discovered that they had drafted the wrong man. After being discharged again, George found work in Harlan, Iowa at the Farm Service Co-op. He later opened a gas station in Harlan, which he ran for many years. From 1960 to 1964, George worked for State Bond and Mortgage selling mutual funds. In 1964 he moved to Storm Lake, Iowa where he opened a Skelly Truck Stop with his brother-in-law, Ken Jorgensen. George retired in 1973 at age 58. For many years, he and Ruth divided their time between Brownsville, Texas and Storm Lake. In 1998, they moved to Topeka, Kansas to be near their daughter, Lois, and her family. George spent most of his retirement taking care of his family, friends and working on various projects. He was always washing homes, mowing lawns, adding porches and sheds or roofing homes for people. He never took anything in return. In addition, he loved fishing, playing cards, and entertaining. George and Ruth's home was the center of activity, no matter which town they were in. You could stop by at any time and get a cup of coffee and a cookie. George had a wonderful sense of humor and was at all times a gentleman. In 2005, when George's daughter and son-in-law moved to the Kansas City area, George went along and took an apartment where he could be close to his daughter, his grandchildren and his great-grand-children. For his last five years, all ten members of his immediate family were settled within an eight mile radius of his apartment. On Jan 4, 2010, George suffered a heart attack. He moved to the Kansas City Hospice House on January 7. He was mentally alert and was a delight to the staff at the hospice. On January 18, 2010, at the age of 93, George passed away at Kansas City Hospice House with his daughter at his side.