Leonard M. "Len" George

Leonard Merle “Len” George, 75, passed away peacefully in Houston, Texas, on Friday, April 21, 2017. Len was born February 21, 1942, to Leonard Lee and Alma Kelm George in Three Rivers, Texas. As a young boy, he spent time on the family farm where he acquired a love for the outdoors and strong work ethic that stayed with him throughout his life. At age 5, Len moved to San Antonio. He attended public schools, played a variety of sports, served as editor for his high school newspaper and was active in school organizations. He worked several part-time jobs, one of his favorites being a camp counselor at Scotty’s Dude Ranch in Wimberley, TX. It was in San Antonio where he met the love of his life, Carol Janert. The two were high school sweethearts and were married for over 54 years. Len attended the University of Houston where he majored in business and was an active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He entered the Firestone management training program where he rapidly progressed and became the second youngest person to be promoted to regional manager at that time. It was also during this time Len and Carol became a family of five. In 1974 Len moved to Huntsville with his family and opened a Firestone franchise that he owned and operated for over 25 years. He expanded to three additional stores and served on Firestone’s National Dealer Council. Upon his retirement from Firestone, Len became a realtor with B&B Properties. He enjoyed residential and commercial real estate and served as president of the Huntsville Board of Realtors. Len was an active member of the Huntsville community. He was president of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce, vice president of the Walker County Fair Association and served on the boards of Tri-County MHMR, Texas Council of Community MHMR Centers, Houston Galveston Area Council and the Independence Communities, Inc. Housing Board. Len was a life-long Christian and an active member of Faith Lutheran Church. He was a founding member of Faith Lutheran School and served as school board chairman for several years. Len loved spending time with family and friends and was active in the lives of his children and grandchildren. He always appreciated a good joke and loved to make people laugh. He enjoyed traveling and was fortunate to travel across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan during his lifetime. He was an avid sports fan and attended numerous high school, college and professional sporting events, including the Indianapolis 500 and an Australian Football League game. Len was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard Lee George and Alma Kelm George. He is survived by his wife, Carol Janert George; son Jeff George and wife Ivanell of Houston, TX; daughter Lisa George Anderson and husband Rich of Austin, TX; son Mark George and wife Angela of Lewisville, TX; and by grandchildren Kelsey and Christopher George, Brandon and Matthew George and Brock and Avery Anderson. Len is also survived by his sister, Elouise George Lewis of New Bern, NC; brother-in-law Herb Janert and wife Sharron of Scottsdale, AZ; as well as several beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and their children. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 27 at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home in Huntsville, TX. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, April 28 at Faith Lutheran Church in Huntsville, TX. A graveside service will be held at 12:00 pm on Saturday, April 29 at Sunset Memorial Park in San Antonio, TX. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Maria Alvares, Kate Gill, Dr. David Knuth and the staff at Houston Methodist Hospital ICU for their wonderful care and support. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Faith Lutheran School, 111 Sumac Road, Huntsville, TX 77340 or to Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare, P.O. Box 3067, Conroe, TX 77305. Memorial condolences may be made to the family at www.shmfh.com.

Leonard M. "Len" George

February 21, 1942 - April 21, 2017