George Hanson Futch, Sr.

George Hanson Futch, Sr., a man of quiet dignity and unwavering faith, died peacefully on December 28, 2023, at the age of 98. He was born on November 2, 1925, in Rocky Point, NC in a home without running water or electricity. His father, John Futch died when George was three years old.  Raised by his grandfather, Hanson Futch, and his resilient mother Etta, and his older sister Lottie Mae, George’s character was shaped by the challenges of his upbringing.  

As a boy, George worked just down the road for A. A. Paul at Paul’s Place, famous now for hot dogs but in the 1930s served bar-b-cue and was a filling station.  Mr. Paul was a great influence and father figure to young George.  

He graduated from Long Creek Grady High School and at age 17, fueled by a sense of duty and patriotism, enlisted in the Navy. As a poignant reflection of the times, his mother had to grant permission for his enlistment because he was not yet “of age.”  In 1943, he was assigned to the destroyer escort USS Witter (DE 636), a small ship whose job was to screen “important” capital ships from air and submarine attack in the Pacific Theater.  Witter fought its way west through harrowing, terrifying engagements, some of which kept the crew at general quarters around the clock. Battles included Leyte Gulf in the Philippine Invasion and Okinawa in the western Pacific.  

On 6 April, 1945, Witter’s luck ran out - the ship was hit by a Japanese kamikaze suicide bomber at the waterline amidships opening a 12-foot hole. Six men were killed.  An able crew kept the crippled ship afloat.  Then came 2 months in a floating drydock – and continued daily air attacks.  All of this had a profound impact on the 19-year-old farm boy from rural Pender County.  For the last two years he had been witness to a lot of bad things, but he had also experienced a wonderful world of close friendships and camaraderie that would strengthen his faith in God and prepare him for a changing world.  

His best friend was from New York and visited his home in Rocky Point after the war.  Jack Spitsen embraced his humble beginnings;  they were life-long friends.  After the war, George went to work for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad but then continued his service as a member of the United States Coast Guard. 

It was during these times, that he met the love of his life, Mildred Wolff, at Wrightsboro Baptist Church.  They married there on November 16, 1947, and their faith community played an integral role in their lives for over seventy years.  They raised their two sons, George, Jr., and Charles in the neighborhood behind the church as George developed a career in life insurance sales during the 1950s-1970s.  

After retirement, George and Millie continued to serve the church:  he as a Deacon and chairman of the Buildings and Grounds committee and a groundskeeper, and she as a church historian – and both in multiple other capacities. He also kept active providing guidance for community service workers at Bellevue Cemetery where Millie’s family was buried.  He was even featured in small roles as a groundskeeper on television shows filmed at Bellevue Cemetery.  A highlight of his post-retirement years were twenty reunion trips with his shipmates from the Witter.  They took trips across the country sharing sea stories and remembrances until the remaining shipmates knew it was time to let the tradition fade. He remained a member of the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association.  

George was a past member of the board of directors of the American Children’s Home in Lexington, NC, and a lifelong member of the associated Junior Order of United American Mechanics.  He was a founding member of the Cape Fear Optimist Club and took pride in being a “Friend of Youth.”  He was also a member of American Legion Post 545 and past member of Wrightsboro Volunteer Fire Department where he drove the 18-wheel tanker truck. 

George would have been the first to admit he was not a Biblical scholar, but his blessings and prayers conveyed a deep sense of God’s presence with the cadence of his voice and the wisdom of his words.  He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. 

 George is survived by his sons, George Hanson Futch, Jr. (Jonette) and Charles Marshall Futch (Jerri) and her daughter, Jaime and Jaime’s daughter, Aurora; grandsons William Hanson Futch (Rachel) and their children, Emilia and James;  and John Marshall Futch.  He is also survived by nephews, nieces; grand, great-grand, and great-great-grand nephews and nieces.  

Services will be at Wrightsboro Baptist Church, 2736 Castle Hayne Road, 28401 on Saturday, 6 Jan 2024.  Visitation will be at 10 Am, Service at 11 AM with interment following at Oleander Memorial Gardens.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Wrightsboro Baptist Church Building and Grounds Fund, Bellevue Cemetery Foundation (4924 Pine St., Wilmington, NC, 28403), or American Children’s Home (PO Box 1288, Lexington, NC, 27293).