George G. Sayers

George G. Sayers

George G. Sayers, Jr. died at home in Tucson on April 13, 2024 with his wife by his side. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and dementia for a few years.

Born and raised in Fairfield, CT to George G. Sayers, Sr. and Helen Sayers, he grew up within a half-mile of Long Island Sound. He graduated from Roger Ludlow High School as valedictorian and then spent the next eight years dropping out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and starting again. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during one of his school dropout periods. He was proud of his service, despite being injured and eventually retired. He worked in chemical plants after retiring from the Navy and when he wasn’t at MIT. 

Something of a Renaissance man, George was interested in everything from astronomy to zoology. He was a wonderful cook, creating diverse dishes such as lobster newburg and fruit salads. His passion was collecting, especially mineral specimens. The only problem was that he never knew when to stop. We had a guest house that was filled with shelves, weighed down by boxes of crystals.

I met him when he asked a mutual friend to go with him down to Chesapeake Bay to collect fossil shark’s teeth. The friend was my SCUBA diving buddy. The three of us went to Maryland and collected. I fell in love. Six weeks later we were married.

He was an avid stamp collector and researched the history of a specialized group of stamps, writing a series of articles about them. He received the coveted Carroll Chase Cup for advancing the knowledge of philately from the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society in 2010. 

We also had small collections of depression glass and match safes. Me – I collected dragons. Small ones.

Our lives were hectic as he finished his degree at MIT (finally) and I started medical school. Then he worked while I studied. After med school and residency, we ended up in Douglas, Arizona on the border.

George was very active in the Douglas community at the same time he was running my office. He was on multiple boards, including the Salvation Army, the Douglas Association for Retarded Citizens – he was even President of the DARC board – the Cochise Private Industry Council, and others. He served as acting director of Cochise PIC for over six months during a particularly difficult time. The staff referred to him as “the best damned ‘actor’ in the county”.

Culminating his career in Douglas, he ran for mayor against the establishment with me as his campaign manager. We won and he brought in a lot of jobs during his two years. We left Douglas when I switched to emergency medicine. Life became calmer. Until he decided we should adopt two little Chinese girls. We adopted three. Three girls who have become beautiful and successful women. They are his greatest legacy.   

The past few years have been hard, but he bore up well, giving me laughter and love despite his failing body and mind.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

He leaves behind his wife, Rhema Sayers, his three daughters: Kimberley Sayers, Claire Sayers, and Garie Sayers, as well as three granddaughters, numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, George G. Sayers, Sr.; his mother, Helen Sayers; his sister, Barbara Lee Myers; and his brother, Charles T. Sayers.

A celebration of his life will be held at his home on Friday, April 19th, between 4PM and 8PM.