George William Deardorff

color: windowtextGeorge Deardorff passed away September 29, 2012 in Seattle after a short illness. He was born on a farm near Athens, Indiana on May 25, 1924 to Floyd and Nellie (Clayton) Deardorff. George graduated from Rochester High School in 1942 and joined the Army later that year, serving in Italy during WWII. After the war he went to Purdue University on the GI Bill and received a degree in Forestry. In 1950 he married Joan Maree Headley and remained happily married for 62 years. George and his family were long-time residents of Urbana, Illinois where he was employed as a field agent for the American Maize Products Co. He was active in the local Optimists Club working with disadvantaged youth. In 1986 he retired and moved with Joan to Edmonds, WA to be near their grown children. George became active in the Edmonds Kiwanis Club and worked on a number of community projects. color: windowtextGeorge will be remembered as a loving father, husband, and friend. He had a passion for words and languages, learning Italian and German after the war and later taking up Russian, Norwegian, and Portuguese. He was fascinated by other cultures and enjoyed meeting foreign students and traveling overseas. George was an avid gardener and would feed the neighborhood during the harvest months. His intelligence and passion for life will be sorely missed. color: windowtextHe is survived by his wife Joan; his son Thomas (wife Rebecca); daughter Jan Medaska (husband Kevin); three granddaughters, Rachel Henderson (husband Connor), Ariel and Mariah Deardorff; and one great-granddaughter, Olivia Henderson. He is preceded in death by his brothers, James and Robert. color: windowtextThe family wants to thank the loving caregivers at Aegis Northgate for helping George during his final months. You may share memories of George at href=http://www.becksfuneralhome.com/www.becksfuneralhome.com. color: windowtext