George Thayer

Mr. George F. Thayer, age 77, of Fenwick, passed away Friday, February 11, 2011 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. The son of Albert & Inez (Harriman) Thayer, he was born on April 28, 1933 on the family farm near Sheridan and was a graduate of Sheridan Agricultural High School. Although he worked for nearly 44 years at Extruded Metals in Belding, Georges true passion was farming raising a few cattle and growing cash crops on his 20 acres with the help of his two sons, Mike and Fred. On June 7, 1952, in Stanton, he married the former Opal E. Wagner and together they enjoyed almost 59 years of marriage and raised three children. George enjoyed games of chance, especially playing bingo, the slots at the Soaring Eagle Casino, and scratching off lottery tickets. He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Debra; three brothers, Fred, Austin, and Albert Thayer; a sister; Katherine; and a daughter-in-law, Patricia M. Thayer. Surviving is his wife, Opal Thayer of Fenwick; their children, Michael & Amy Thayer of Fenwick, Lucille & Bill Clark of Belding, and Fred Thayer of Fenwick; ten grandchildren, Jenny, Matt, Cassie, Chad, Charlie, Jackie, Kirstin, Narissa, Kirtus, and Makayla; and ten great-grandchildren, Natasha, Grace, Kyla, Parker, Keagan, Zayden, Keith, Casey, Kaitlyn, and Charity. Honoring Georges wishes, no formal services will be held and a private family committal ceremony will be held in the spring at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Ionia. Instead of flowers, George would have appreciated contributions in his memory to C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital at the University of Michigan Health System, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (which provided a great deal of help and healing to Georges great-grandson, Keagan Clark). To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of George Thayer, please visit our flower store.