GEORGE ENGLAND OBITUARY

George W. England, 98, of Avon, beloved husband of the late Carolyn (Dailey) England, passed peacefully on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, while surrounded by his family. Born on October 13,1924 to the late George J. and Helen D. England in Manchester, CT, he was the oldest of four children. George joined the Navy in June of 1943, serving in WWII, and was selected for training on PBY Catalina flying boats and the B-24 Liberator as a flight engineer and aerial gunner. He went on to serve with VPB-111 in the Pacific and the South China Sea. Decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal (five bronze stars), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three stars, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one star, the Admirals Unit Commendation, and the Navy Combat Aircrew Wings. George was a true patriot in every sense of the word and loved this great country. At the end of the WWII, he came home and attended Monson Academy, UCONN and the former Connecticut Engineering Institute earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduating, he was hired by IBM. He went on to manage their offices throughout the tri-state area, primarily in New York City and later returned to the Hartford office in 1980. He retired in 1989, and in his words, “after 38 satisfying years.” He was known for being an excellent leader and was “greatly admired for his ability to know and manage his people and business. A man of few but very powerful words and led by example.” His engineering skills did not stop at the IBM office. He was known to be “Mr. Fix It.” In his free time, he liked to keep busy and tackle projects – whether they were his own or someone else’s. To him, relaxation came from staying active, such as giving the car a tune-up, working in the yard, learning to restore his late wife’s collection of antique clocks, volunteering with fellow Avon Lions on service projects and repairing the homes of FAVARH residents. In retirement, George enjoyed a new career as a resolute volunteer to organizations near and dear to his heart such as, the Avon Lions Club, Avon VFW Post 3272, American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, Connecticut Eye Bank, Avon Veterans Memorial Committee, Favarh, CCSU Veterans Project, St. Francis Hospital Mended Hearts, Farmington Valley Men’s Club, and many more. He held various leadership positions within these organizations and was recognized as Citizen of the Year by the Avon-Canton Rotary Club. George made a friend wherever he went and touched the lives of so many in his path. He loved to connect with people and cherished the relationships he cultivated throughout various phases of his life. This last year he especially looked forward to Thursday mornings at Beanz & Co. in Avon, a place where “everyone belongs” and Veterans and friends gather to meet over coffee, enjoying each other’s friendship and camaraderie. To his family, he would say “in order to have a friend, you have to be a friend” and George exemplified that and more. His grandchildren will affectionately remember his storytelling and going out for breakfast followed by visits to the library. He especially liked to take them out for ice cream where he would steal a few bites when they weren’t looking. George’s family will always cherish the many memories made in East Haddam, Cape Cod, Maine and Ireland and they take comfort in knowing that he has been reunited with the love of his life, Carolyn and late son, Tommy. George will be fondly remembered by his family and friends for his patriotism, ability to lead, dedication to family, community and his many acts of kindness and selflessness. George is survived by his four daughters Cheryl England, Patricia England Barry (Michael), Cynthia Gotaski (Tom) and Janice England-Cirikovic (Mario); grandchildren Ryan Barry, Taylor Weishuhn (Luke), Mackenzie Johnson, Johnathan Gotaski, Jordan Gotaski (Kelsey), Adelina Cirikovic, Dante Cirikovic; great granddaughter Madison Gotaski, his sister Nancy England Vogel (Bob) and three nieces and three nephews. He is predeceased by his infant son, Thomas England, his sister June England Madsen (Howard), and brother William England (Alice). His family will receive friends on Monday, December 5th from 10am-12pm, with service to begin immediately after at Carmon Funeral Home, 301 Country Club Rd, Avon, followed by burial with Military Honors at East Cemetery, Manchester. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to FAVARH 225 Commerce Drive, Canton, CT 06019 or Avon Veterans of Foreign War VFW Post 3272 Att. Quartermaster, PO Box 297, Avon, CT 06001. For directions or condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com

VIEW OBITUARY