September 30, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois to Hazel
and Charles Colleran. He joined an older brother,
Jerry and was followed by two sisters, Sally and
Mary. When George was 10 years old, he moved
with his family to Warrens, Wisconsin where they
owned and operated a dairy farm. Despite the farm
work, long cold winters, school (up hill both ways,
of course), George was a very happy kid during
those days. He attended Tomah High School and
at 15 the family moved back to Chicago. George
joined the Air Force at age 17 and spent time in
Alaska, Texas, Washington and finally Guam. After the military he went
on to school, graduating from DePaul University and started his career as
a CPA with Peat, Marwick, and Mitchell.
During his college years, George met Jaqueline Caruso and they were
married shortly after his graduation. Their daughter Colleen was born
in 1962 followed by Charles(Chuck) in 1964. He transferred to Portland,
Oregon where the family lived for a year before settling in Salem in 1967.
George and Jackie parted ways in 1978 but remained close friends for the
rest of their lives. George worked as a comptroller and business manager
for Salem Sanitary Service for many years before retiring in 1997. In 1988,
George married Linda Nisbett Wheeler and they were blessed with 30 years
of marriage.
George will be remembered by friends and family for his intelligence,
sense of humor and (perhaps overly) quick wit! He was a voracious reader,
a lover of world history, and endlessly curious about other cultures. George
travelled internationally, well before it became common to do so, and continued
to travel throughout his life.
George loved a good game- golf or cards, it really didn’t matter. He rarely
turned down an opportunity, whether it be on a barstool in a tavern, on the
course of a country club, or at a table at the Senior Center, the pleasure of
playing was only surpassed by the pleasure of the retelling! He especially
loved family dinners sharing great food and wine, laughter and old stories.
(Although the grandsons would groan at his bad jokes they would always
say “you are the best grandpa ever.”)
George is survived by his wife, Linda, children, Colleen (Grant) Yoshihara,
Charles (Liz) Colleran, grandsons Tyler, Matthew and Henry, nephew Kevin
Colleran and several nieces.
George passed away on December 29, 2018 at the age of 83. At his request
no services will be held. His family will take his ashes to Ireland this
coming summer.
Deepest appreciation to Willamette Valley Hospice for helping care for
George and his family during the past year. Very special thanks to nurse
Kathy Ivie for her professional and caring attention.
George T Colleran
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