George Earl Defenbaugh Jr.

George Earl Defenbaugh, Jr., age 73, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of June 2, 2025 with his family at his side. He had been battling MDS, a form of blood cancer, since last summer. He was responding to treatment, but recently developed pneumonia and was unable to overcome it.

George was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma on October 17, 1951, and spent most of his childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He graduated from Memorial High School in 1969 and then received a Physical Science degree from Oklahoma State University in 1973. He was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force, working in computer communications in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1974 he married his college sweetheart, Kristie Suellen Evans. After completing his military service in 1976, George worked in information technology in Kansas City, Tulsa, and finally Houston. After retiring, George worked as a tax preparer and financial consultant.

George was an avid, self-motivated learner throughout his life. Growing up (and when fully grown!), he often had his nose in a book (and later on, earbuds in a podcast), teaching himself about yet another newfound interest. He excelled in academics, and was inducted into the National Honor Society in high school. He played on the school’s basketball team, and lettered in Track and High Jump. He was an Eagle Scout. At university, he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity and The Navigators organization.

Fascinated with mechanics, he learned to fix cars and do auto body repairs in high school. At the same time, when computers were still the size of rooms and even the simplest programming tasks involved boxes full of punched cards, he became enamored of their future potential. After school, he would go to the Tulsa Tech school to learn as much as he could. This would be the foundation of his future lifelong career in technology. He even co-wrote a college textbook on the C programming language, C Through Design, and taught a variety of computer languages at Tulsa Junior College.

George loved to travel, but relaxation was not in his vocabulary. Along with his wife, Kristie, he developed extensive photography skills on a series of adventure trips to Africa, Antarctica, the Galápagos Islands, China, India, Israel, Norway, and more. They immersed themselves in nature, and on more than one occasion George got more up close and personal with the wildlife than might be recommended! From whitewater rafting in the Colorado River, to braving the fjords of Norway, to facing off with a giant elephant, George was always up for a challenge.

George had a true servant’s heart, and simply could not refrain from leaping to help when a need arose. He was passionate about pet rescue, served on his church’s rapid response team for those in need, photographed weddings, filmed baptisms, assisted with Car Care events for single parents, and provided extensive tech support for anyone who asked. George took civic duty deeply seriously, serving as president of his community POA and as a local election judge. He also took care of his parents throughout their last years.

George was a devoted son, and a wonderful father, grandfather, and brother. His absence leaves a big hole in his family and friends’ lives. He is greatly missed. He is preceded in death by his parents, George and Dorothy Defenbaugh. He is survived by his wife, Kristie Suellen Evans Defenbaugh, whom he loved dearly through 51 years of marriage. He is also survived by his son, John Mark Defenbaugh, John’s wife, Melody and their daughter, Tiffany; his daughter, Christine Dobson-Defenbaugh, Christine’s husband, Lucas, and their sons Zephyr and Phoenix; his sister, Louise Yearout, her husband, Timothy, and their children, Rebecca and Michael; plus many more relatives and friends.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm on Tuesday, June 17, at Forest Park - The Woodlands Funeral Home & Cemetery 18000 I-45, The Woodlands, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to World Vision at https://www.worldvision.org/

or to Montgomery County Animal Services at https://www.mcaspets.org/