Mr. George H. Eanes, age 90 of McDonough, Georgia passed away December 13, 2017. Born on February 4, 1927, George was the youngest of four children of the late Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Eanes of Screven County. After graduating from high school, he attended college at Georgia Southern University (then Georgia Teachers College) in Statesboro, for one year before enlisting in the Navy in World War II. He served aboard a destroyer in the North Atlantic.
Upon being honorably discharged, he re-entered Georgia Southern where he played Varsity Basketball all three years. In 1949, he graduated with a B.S. in History and Physical Education.
His first job was at Sycamore High School in Turner County, where he coached both boys and girls basketball and taught History for five years. His teams won two Region Championships.
In 1954, he married Marion Dunning of Blakely, Georgia, who was teaching Home Economics at Tifton High School. They moved to Quitman, Georgia in Brooks County, where they lived for 14 years. Mr. Eanes taught both Georgia and U.S. History in the classroom, was Assistant football coach, and was the Head Coach of both boys and girls basketball. He took very seriously the teaching also of driver’s education. One requirement he insisted upon was that each student change a tire on a vehicle! The girl’s team previously won only three games in four years; six years later, they won the State Championship.
Later when all county schools were consolidated and became Brooks County High, Coach Eanes taught History in the classroom, was Assistant Principal, Assistant football coach, and named Head coach of the girls basketball team.
While at Brooks County High, his girls teams won six Region Championships, two State Runners-Up Championships, and a State Championship.
During several summers while living in South Georgia, he and Mrs. earned their Masters Degrees at Florida State University, Mrs. Eanes having begun work toward that degree at her Alma Mater, the University of Georgia.
Although the couple had built a house in Quitman, they were persuaded to accept positions in 1968 at Stockbridge High School, where the girls had not had a winning team.
Before Christmas that year, they won three of nine games. After Christmas they went undefeated and went on to become Region Champs. In the Next three and a half seasons, they won 70 out 71 games – including four Christmas Tournament Championships, and were in the Top Five in the State, before Coach Eanes retired from coaching with 523 victories.
For 20+ years, Coach Eanes taught and coached basketball fundamentals in the summertime at the Norman Carter Basketball Camp and Superstar Basketball Camp. Over the years, he has been a mentor to many coaches, having been asked to evaluate their teams and to talk with them about their strengths and weaknesses.
For the last 15 years of his teaching career, Mr. Eanes served as Guidance Counselor at Stockbridge High, having furthered his studies toward a Masters in Counseling from Georgia State University. He was instrumental in securing scholarships for athletes and non-athletes alike and wrote many entrance recommendations into colleges and/or jobs.
During his coaching career, he was honored by Georgia Southern University with the Outstanding Athletic Alumnus Award. In 2004, he received the prestigious Steve Schmidt Award for outstanding achievement in girls basketball by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club. Then in 2010, he was elected to the Georgia High School Coaches Hall of Fame. At both of the latter ceremonies, he made a point to thanks his wife for her moral support and for keeping score at hundreds of games at scorers’ tables over all those years!
Coach Eanes continued to attend basketball games, both on the high school and college levels long after retiring in 1986. Mrs. Eanes vows that he saw almost as many games as those he coached. He still got a thrill viewing local, regional, and state games and tournaments.
His hobbies included vegetable gardening, especially growing outstanding tomatoes. He loved to travel, to fish, and to read. He held membership in the Heritage Park Gardening Club in McDonough, where he and his wife bought a house in 2007. They sold their Stockbridge home shortly thereafter in order to down-size.
He was a member of Timberridge Presbyterian Church of McDonough, where he gained much from the friendly and spiritual atmosphere. You could find him there every Sunday. He enjoyed the monthly Men’s Suppers at his church.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his two brothers, Bernard and Beverly, his sister, Carolyn Eanes Lewis, and his nephew, Franklin Lewis. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Marion; great-niece Casey Lewis Steele (Trey) of Austin, Texas, great-nephew, Stephen Lewis (Stacy) of Stateboro and their children.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 16, 2017 – 11:00 AM in the Haisten Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Fred Young, Rev. Susan Hanes and Mr. Chuck Miller will officiate. Interment will follow at Eastlawn Memorial Park. Friends may visit the family Saturday one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, Coach Eanes asked that contributions be made to Timberridge Presbyterian Church, 2704 Conyers Road, McDonough, GA 30253, www.timberridgeonline.org.
Arrangements are under the direction of Haisten Funeral Home of McDonough, www.haistenfunerals.com.
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