Walter L George

It is with profound sadness that I share the passing of Rev. Walter L. George, of Lee's Summit, MO, who departed Peacefully on May 16th, 2024, at the age of 93.

Walter was born on Jan 18th,1931 in Kansas City, MO, to Vernon & Abbye Dale George.  He spent his childhood & adolescent years in KC during the Great Depression & WW2, attending The Methodist Church with his Father, Mother and younger brother Steve.

He got his first job as a Sales Rep at Greenlease Cadillac in KC, a job offered to him when he simply walked in to apply.  He was so proud of that job, which sparked a lifelong interest in cars.

In the late 40s -1950, Walter served in the Naval Reserve, aboard the USS Daniel A Joy, stationed in Lake Michigan. He often reminisced through the years, regarding his experiences while serving. 

Around 1950, he met Wanda (Laverl)  Haddock, through a mutual Friend at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in KC.  They were inseparable, & later married Feb. 2, 1952. This Church experience ignited an interest to become a Minister of the same Denomination.  Walter and LaVerl both attended Manhattan Bible College in Manhattan, KS, as Laverl worked diligently to support both of them.

In 1960, Walter & Laverl welcomed their first child, a daughter, LeighAnne, while Walter was attending Brite Divinity Seminary (at Texas Christian Univ) in Fort Worth, TX. 

In 1963, they welcomed their second child, a son, Eric Anthony, while serving at First Christian Church in Dublin, TX.

Soon thereafter, Walter & LaVerl resided in Commerce, TX, serving as Minister & Family at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
 
In 1968, they and their two young kids, moved back to their native Kansas City.  Rev Walter served as Minister of several Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ): Blue Ridge CC, Red Bridge CC, & Bader Memorial CC, respectively.  Each summer, he would take Church members on a 2-week "Heritage Tour" to learn about the history of the Christian Church.  Throughout the years, Walter and Laverl travelled to Church Conventions, which were held all over the country. They visited many places, met up with old friends and made new ones.

Laverl, in her own right, worked in High-end Retail as Store Manager for several Department Stores including Harzfeld's & Bonwit Teller. She had started as part-time Christmas help at Harzfeld's, & with a lot of dedication and tenacity, worked her way up to Operations Manager.  In the 80s Laverl switched careers and became a Top-Seller as a Realtor for Coldwell Banker & JC Nichols.
 
After many years of hard work and dedication to their work "Callings," Walter and Laverl retired comfortably in Lee's Summit, MO. They joined Lee's Summit Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and became very active members in what would be their final Church Home. 

During retirement, Walter continued to serve as Interim of several Churches around the KC area, and served as an On-Call Chaplain for Park Lawn Funeral Home. He also served as an On-Call Minister for weddings when needed. He would also visit elderly residents in their homes and in various care facilities.
 
During their later years, Walter and Laverl enjoyed each other's company, relaxing at home, spending time with Family and Friends, going for drives, and doing some travelling.  Back in the day, (in the 80s), they even visited their daughter abroad in Thailand, while she was on assignment teaching English.

Walter was intellectual and inquisitive, always had a number of hobbies and interests including music of all kinds, photography, bicycling, building model train layouts and a love for cats.  At one point, he even built his own Micro-Light plane in the garage, and enjoyed flying it for a few years.  He was assertive, friendly, personable and empathetic, with a witty sense-of-humor.

Laverl loved her gardening.  She would spend hours outside, for weeks on end, creating special, magical garden  landscapes around the home(s). She could make anything grow with her special touch.  She also enjoyed decorating within their home(s). She was very talented and creative. LaVerl had strong character for fairness, a strong work ethic, and was very practical. She had a lively side to her personality with a fun-loving, witty sense-of-humor. She loved to laugh.

Walter is predeceased by his Beloved Wife Wanda LaVerl (from Alzheimers), his younger brother Steve and wife Evelyn, and both Parents.

He is survived by his daughter LeighAnne and her husband Stephen, son Eric and wife Katherine, two grandchildren Connor and Amelia, brother-in-law Jerry Haddock, sister-in-law LaVonda Pointer, and many nieces and nephews.

You Are The Salt of the Earth.
You Live On In Our Hearts.
In Loving Memory.

A Private Family Service and Burial are scheduled at this time.

Please do not send flowers, but if you would like to make a Donation to the Alzheimer's Association, here is the link: www.alz.org