George William Punchard

Born May 29,1926 - Died September 25, 2026

George W. Punchard lived to be 100 years old. He was adventurous, generous, chatty, charismatic and loved by all, making many loyal friends through his life. He loved golf which he played into his 90’s! He was also genuinely happy to have received a 100 Year Birthday card from King Charles and Queen Camilla. George shared the same birth year as Queen Elizabeth and had hoped he’d receive the birthday card from her but she predeceased at age 96!

George’s was born upstairs in a pub called The Wortwell Bell, in Wortwell, Norfolk, England. George was only 15 when he joined the British Royal Navy serving in the Pacific and was part of the liberation of Hong Kong. He shared many stories about his naval service. After the war, George worked as a white gloved bartender on P & O cruise ships in the 1950’s. He befriended many celebrities working as a bartender at the famous Brown Derby. One celebrity, Bob Hope, shared the same birthday with George, and they bonded over their British heritage. Years later, Bob Hope spotted George in a restaurant in Australia, on their birthday, and he sent George a bottle of wine. George kept a list of all the celebrities he served from Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire to Dick Van Dyke. George was a Mason for many years.

George was married to Marjorie Thornton in 1961 who was also British. They both became American citizens in June, 1969. They had one son David who sadly passed away in 2018. Years later, George found love again with another Marjory - Marjory Ann Gresik. They spent their golden years together and loved to travel, golf, cook, craft and entertain.

George is survived by his two granddaughters from his son David, Marjorie M. Punchard and Kathryn Ann Punchard.

He was a legend