Clayton H. George

Clayton H. George, 93, of Pleasant View Retirement Community, Manheim, and formerly of Maryland, died peacefully on Friday, October 3, 2014 at the Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Lititz. Born in Manheim, he was the son of the late Charles W. George and Susan J. Smith George Beck. He was the loving husband of 60 years to the late Miriam Huber George who died in June of 2005. Clayton enlisted in the Navy during World War II as one of 141 licensed funeral directors/embalmers and proudly continued to serve for over 20 years as a hospital corpsman. During the war he was on one of the first ships with occupation troops that went to Japan. His claim to fame in the George family was that he had such a calm temperament that he fell asleep in the boat on the way over to Normandy on D-Day. After the war, he was stationed in Washington, D.C., and worked as a courier for top secret documents between the Capitol and the White House. He also worked at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center setting up X-ray and Anatomy courses for Navy Corpsmen. Clayton was a 1938 graduate of Manheim High School and then graduated from Eckels College of Embalming in Philadelphia in 1939. Following successfully completing his internship and state and national boards he was awarded a Pennsylvania Funeral Directors License. Clayton was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Manheim. He was also a member of the Hyattsville and Manheim Lions Clubs, and a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans. Following retirement, Clayton traveled with his wife extensively throughout the United States. His interests included hunting, fishing, and photography. Clayton enjoyed singing and had a great bass-baritone soloist voice. He had a passion for people, loved to joke, and have fun and his voice was so bold and strong that he commanded your attention and your friendship. Clayton made friends easily and had a big heart for people of all walks of life. He wanted to make the world a better place and was not afraid to give generously but humbly to that cause.
Surviving is a daughter, Margaret, wife of J. Richard Thomson of Marietta, GA., and many nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death is a daughter, Elizabeth Miller, two sisters: Vivian George, Susan Beam, and a son-in-law, Vern Miller.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Clayton’s service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving in the Hoffer Auditorium at Pleasant View Retirement Community, 544 North Penryn Road, Manheim, on Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 2:30 PM. Friends may visit with the family in Hoffer Auditorium on Thursday, November 13, 2014 from 2:00 PM until the time of the service. Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family in Manheim Fairview Cemetery. Those desiring may send contributions in Clayton’s memory to: Pleasant View Retirement Community Benevolent Care Endowment Fund, 544 North Penryn Road, Manheim, PA 17545.