Obituary of George Edwin Lehr

George E. Lehr, age 91 of Dacula, GA died suddenly on Saturday, February 12, 2011. Mr. Lehr has been cremated and will be placed in the Columbarium at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, CA. Mr. Lehr is survived by His wife of 69 years, Evelyn Vaughn Lehr, Dacula. Children, Terry Lehr, San Diego, CA, Joy Dinehart, Dacula and Scott Lehr, Portland, OR. Grandchildren, Todd, Christopher, Ryan, Brandon and Tim. 8 Great Grandchildren. Brother, Richard Eugene Lehr, Bolder City, NV. George was born on December 4, 1919 in Joliet, IL. He was an engineer and earned is BS Degree at the University of Cincinnati. He was employed for 35 years with Mastic Corporation in South Bend, IN and was a Veteran of the US Army Air Corps. A letter from George June, 2010 Dear Fellow Classmates, Following are a few memories of the happy years spent at Joliet Township High School: First; is the quotation above the stage in the auditorium. The foundation of every State is the Education of its Youth, Diogenes. I tried to call him about the accuracy of the saying, but they told me his line was dead. Second; the school, lead by Dr. Haggart, his staff and faculty, they ran a tight ship, which was necessary for such a large student body. I remember decorating the combined gyms for school dances and football games at night on the old football field down Richard Street. I went to kindergarten in the grade school next to that field. The high school is now 108 years old and has air conditioning, maybe we should have waited to go. Third; my greatest memories of all time involved being in the high school band directed by A. R. MaCallister. He was a task master who would accept only the best you could do. The result was several National Championships in the days when there was only one National Champion. His demand for perfection lead to such rewards; as in the Spring of 1936, a trip to NYC for two weeks, where we appeared on the stage at Carnegie Hall, the Old Metropolitan Opera House and a week of several stage shows each day at the Radio City Music Hall. And I still remember the Rockettes and ballet girls, who were on the stage with us. We then went on down to Washington, D.C. to give a concert for FRD on the Capitol steps, but he didn't appear. Fourth; the happiest moment at JTHS was meeting Dixie. We were married in 1941 and one week later the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and almost immediately I joined the Army Air Corps. A son was born in 1942, and a daughter in 1946. After the war and some years at the University of Cincinnati on the GI bill, I took a job that took us to South Bend, Indiana, in 1950, where we lived for 35 years. In 1956 we had another son to complete the family. I became VP of manufacturing in many plants in the U.S. for the company I worked for. I retired in 1985 when the company was sold to AlCOA. We moved to San Diego and we traveled the world. We visited all the Seas and Continents, except the Antarctica, and some 90 countries during times when the world was friendlier. Now here we are in the autumn years of our lives in the care of our wonderful daughter and son-n-law and caring nurses 24/7, some 30 miles NE of Atlanta. Dixie has Alzheimer's and my knees are gone. This is the reason we are not with you today. You would still recognize Dixie anywhere, and I am bald, but (t) still wearing a 36/ 38 inch belt. So there you have it - a saga of one man's family and life that began together in Joliet Township High School. If what they tell us is true, we may all be able to meet again sometime in the great beyond, I hope so. Best Wishes, Dixie and George Lehr