George William Nowatka

George was born Jan 1, 1930 in Batavia, NY, to Gustav Ewald (who emigrated from Germany) and Martha Margaret Nowatka née Turik (who was born in the United States to German immigrant parents). He returned to his heavenly Father on May 31, 2026.

George came from modest beginnings. He was born during the Great Depression, and his father had to feed the family by working as a cook in the police cafeteria. There, he received three meals a day and leftovers to take home to the family, which kept the family fed.

George started his first job at age 5, topping onions “on the muck” (drained swampland). He continued to work delivering papers, shoveling snow, and “pitching peas." He also worked in railroad maintenance, at a meat-packing company, and as a salesman at a men’s clothing shop. He bought his first bicycle at age 7 and bought all of his own clothes by age 12. Having few clothes growing up, he always valued quality clothing and dressing well.

George graduated from Batavia High School where he was a member of the Football team, the Choristers, and the Glee Club. He was the first in his family to attend college, which he financed by working during what is now called a gap year and co-oping on the Cliff’s Victory Ore Boat on the Great Lakes. He graduated from Fenn College (now Cleveland State University) and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

After college, George served in the Army in Korea in the Signal Corps. Following his time in the army, he returned to Cleveland and worked for Fisher Body, a subsidiary of General Motors. He completed an MBA at night at Case Western Reserve while working full time. He met and married his wife of nearly 69 years, Carolyn Roberts. George began work for Moore Products Co. selling industrial instrumentation. During his 29 years there, he pushed his company to switch from pneumatic to electronic controls and became great friends with many of his customers.

Perhaps his most impressive and adventurous endeavor was buying a farm in 1976, despite having no agricultural experience. With his wife and children (who participated with varying degrees of enthusiasm), he farmed cattle, tobacco, hay, and vegetables. He started “the hard way,” with cheap equipment and free labor but eventually had a successful farm with 125 head of cattle, 2.5 acres of tobacco and a vegetable garden of over an acre. Upon his retirement from Moore, George became a full-time farmer. George loved taking care of his cattle and later added honey bees to the farm. He took care of the farm until age 93, at which point he had had the farm for 47 years. The farm has become a focal point of the family, with many summer breaks and Christmas vacations spent there by his children, his grandchildren, and their sometimes willing guests helping George bale hay and feed the cows.

George felt compelled to contribute to the organizations he joined, often serving as president or in other positions. He was a member of the Louisville Area Cattlemen’s Association, the Louisville Agricultural Club, the Kentuckiana Bee Keepers, the Oldham County Bee Keepers, and more. He was also one of the voices of Freddy Farmer at the State Fair. George was honored for his numerous efforts by the Governor, who made him an honorary Kentucky Colonel in 2000.

He enjoyed travelling and visiting family all around the world. He was very curious about other people and cultures; he could have a jovial conversation with just about anyone. He had a huge laugh and bright smile, which he shared with the world quickly and often. He was also known in the family for his storytelling.

George was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was predeceased by his parents Gustav and Martha Nowatka, and by his siblings Ruth, Elizabeth, Anna, Martha Jane, and Charles. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Nowatka, his three children George Douglas (Diana), Thomas Christian (Cecile) and Katharine Doeringer (Christian), his grandchildren Thomas William and Helen Cecile Nowatka, Tait William (Gabby), Aidan Christian (Cassidy) and Hanna Mei Doeringer, and his great-grandchildren Augustus William, Tovah, and Hadassah Doeringer. He is also survived by his brother David and many nieces and nephews.

A service will be held June 4 at 12:00 at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 8305 Nottingham Parkway, Louisville, KY with visitation to begin at 10:00. Interment of ashes will be on June 18 at the Kentucky Veteran’s Cemetery in Radcliffe, KY.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Our Savior Lutheran Church, where he was a member for 56 years https://www.oursaviorlouisville.com/give

(e-mail: [email protected]).