George Lewis Bartlett

George L. Bartlett died peacefully in his sleep December 19, 2024, after achieving his goal of living to be 100 years old. He was born in Nampa, ID on October 13,1924. George enlisted in the US Marine Corps in February 1943, and was part of The Greatest Generation, having served in World War Two as a navigator-bombardier in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. When the war ended he was released to inactive duty, after which he received his B.S. degree from the University of Oregon, followed by a Masters’ degree from George Washington University. He was recalled to active duty in 1950 and was commissioned a Marine Corps Reserve second lieutenant. In 1952 he was transferred to Korea as an air controller. After serving in different capacities and attending many Marine Corps schools, by 1966, after serving in Vietnam, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He served a second tour in Vietnam in August 1970 until July 1971 when he was ordered to Naples, Italy, which he considered one of the highlights of his career. On July 3, 1975 he was promoted to Brigadier General, until his retirement June 1, 1977. After his retirement he took the job as Executive Director of the Marine Corps Association, a position he held for 10 years. During that time, the Association grew rapidly to the point where it needed to be housed in a larger building. To that end, he saw through the construction of a new facility which was subsequently named after him, Bartlett Hall, in Quantico, VA.

To those who knew him, he was the life of the party, a great story teller (some of which were actually true he’d say), and a purveyor of corny jokes he liked to tell over and over again. He was also kind and caring and a people person extraordinaire. He would say his world was very small, because after striking up a conversation with a random person in an airport, for instance, he would discover after just a few minutes that somehow, they had a connection. His passions were tennis and skiing and each year he would spend several weeks in January skiing is St. Anton, Austria, then in February skiing in Colorado at Beaver Creek. As time went on and he discovered Aspen, Colorado, he swapped skiing in St. Anton for skiing in Aspen. Through his travels and skiing he made many, many friends along the way, many of which still keep in touch with him. George was one of a kind and a joy and privilege to know. He leaves behind his wife, Donna, his sons James and William, his grandsons Michael and Evan, and three great grandchildren.

George will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.