JEFF GEORGE

PERRY, GA – Vernard Jefferson “Jeff” George, 74, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 3, 2025, after years of extensive cardiac care. Services will be held on Sunday, January 12, 2025, in the sanctuary at Perry Methodist Church. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., and the service will begin at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Tom Carruth officiating. Inurnment will be private in Perry Memorial Gardens immediately following the services. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorial contributions to Perry Methodist Church, P. O. Box 73, Perry, GA 31069, or American Heart Association, 10 Glenlake Parkway, South Tower, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30328, or the charity of the donor’s choice in memory of Jeff. Jeff was born on January 8, 1950, in Waycross, Georgia, to the late Vernard E. and Audrey Wooten George. He grew up in Waycross and began playing the piano at a very young age, which laid the foundation for his lifelong love of classical music. After graduating high school, he earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University. Returning to Waycross, he worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who eventually transferred him to the GBI office in Thomaston. While in Thomaston, Jeff met the love of his life, Christy Slade, a young elementary teacher who instantly captured his attention, and he knew they would be together forever. The couple married a month later and settled in Thomaston where Jeff began working at Thomaston Mills, the local textile manufacturer. With several years of experience and great knowledge of the industry, Jeff was offered a management position with Kellwood Company, a competing textile manufacturer, in Perry, and the family soon moved. After sixteen years in the industry, Jeff’s career took a new path when Kellwood closed. He accepted a position with Utility Service Company and became part of the team that developed and promoted the first water tank maintenance services program in the nation. A former Vice President and a Regional Sales Director, Jeff held executive level positions in the water tank industry for twenty-three years. He directed a team of salesmen from Alabama to California and retired from American Tank Maintenance after thirty-three years in the business. Jeff was a long-time member of Perry Methodist Church and the Christadelphian Sunday School Class where he faithfully attended. A fabulous storyteller and a “numbers genius,” Jeff was a friendly, unique, and fun-loving southern gentleman who loved music and listened to it all the time. He loved sitting on his back porch looking out at the water and also enjoyed boating, both while blasting Jimmy Buffett and Yacht Rock on the speakers. Jeff was always fascinated with cars and the vast improvements in technology that were implemented in vehicles each year. A self-proclaimed professional chef, he enjoyed cooking for his family, and especially for his wife through the “empty nest” years and later in life. His greatest passion in life though, was his family. It delighted Jeff to honor his wife with acts of service and to set an example of a Godly husband and true southern gentleman for his sons-in-law and his grandsons. Jeff was preceded in death by his parents; a cousin, Dianna Moore; and his beloved four-legged companion, Bridget, who was the perfect laid-back dog for Jeff. Left to cherish the memories they made with Jeff are his loving and devoted wife of forty-one years, Christy Slade George of Perry; his daughters and sons-in-law, Kearse and Luke Ross of Erie, Colorado, and Ashley and Brad McConnell of Perry; his grandchildren, Slade McConnell, Grey McConnell, and Elizabeth Ann McConnell; and his faithful dog, Coco. An only child, Jeff was particularly close with several cousins and their families, Dr. Theda Perdue of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dr. Bill Moore of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Gyle Atwood (Cheryl) of Grenville, South Carolina. Condolences for the family may be left in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.

Tributes

JEFF GEORGE

January 8, 1950 - January 3, 2025