Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

George Edward Kaufer was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in 1945. Raised in Washington, Pennsylvania, by his parents Ethel and Delbert Marshall, George had one brother and four sisters: Bill, Bonnie, Karen, Delores and Dee. His parents were caretakers on a farm. As a result of living on a home on the property, George had chores on the farm and learned a strong work ethic from a young age. He graduated from McGuffey High School and in 1963 he voluntarily joined the Marine Corps. He served the Marines by working in communications with radio intelligence during the Vietnam War. Finishing his service to the United States Marine Corps in 1967, he returned home to Pennsylvania. He quickly gained work and took on many jobs. George was grateful for the birth of his first son, Geo, in August 1968. In December 1973, his second son, David, was born. George loved being a father. In the mid-70's, the family moved to Southern California to be closer to his wife's family. George gained a job through his brother-in-law at a concrete pump company. Soon, he grew apart from his wife and divorced.

In 1978, his life changed forever when he met a co-worker named Cindy. They both played on the company's co-ed softball team. After the games, when everyone went out for pizza and beer, the couple spent time together. They started dating, hanging out with friends, and going to the movies. As the months passed, the couple talked about getting married and in 1981, they followed a path that was meant to be. Cindy and George married in a chapel in Lake Tahoe. She wore a beautiful white satin dress, while he wore a brown suit. It was a small service as the family witnessed the couple exchanging the traditional vows. Afterward, the couple went out to dinner with their family and later they held a wedding reception at Cindy's mother's home.

In 1982, when Cindy was pregnant, George's ex-wife died unexpectedly from cancer and Geo and David moved in with the couple. The kids were still young and while it was an adjustment for everyone, they created a new family. A few months later, Cindy and George welcomed the birth of their son, Brian. A few years later, in 1985, their daughter, Nicole, was born. George was happy to be a father four times over. He loved each one of his children and he was a great father. While he was strict at times, he also taught his children responsibility by giving them chores. He helped the kids with schoolwork, as he was especially good in Math and English. He had a special talent for helping the kids with class projects, as he was very creative. He enjoyed helping with Science projects. For one of Brian's projects, he helped him build a machine in 10th grade that focused on using different kinds of energy to light a match. It was an elaborate project that had a ball roll down a track to trigger a switch and light the match at the end. With George's help, the project received an A+. George also supported the kids in playing sports. When Brian played roller hockey, George served voluntarily as team coach for two seasons. He was a good coach who liked working with the kids. When Nicole played soccer in the Long Beach Youth Soccer Organization and played on club teams in high school and later in college, George attended all of the games. He was always cheering from the sidelines for Nicole and her friends on the team.

Over the years, George enjoyed the holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas with Cindy's family. For Christmas, the family went to a tree farm in Paramount as Brian and George chopped down a tree for the holiday. George loved putting up the tree, decorating it and hanging lights outside the house. Throughout his life, he worked 10-12 hour days plus overtime devoted to shop or maintenance jobs. While he worked hard, he also enjoyed his free time spent with the family or golfing. After Cindy signed him up for golf lessons, he loved the sport of golf for the next five years. He enjoyed playing 18 holes with his golfing buddies, as he became a really good golfer. On Sundays, he'd play 9 holes of golf and he enjoyed golfing with his son, Brian. In fact, Brian remembers his father had a talent for driving off the tee. The family enjoyed vacations spent traveling to Colorado, where Cindy's mother lived. The family also had a trailer for a few years and liked camping with friends for long weekends at Lake Cachuma, Lake Paris or Lake Skinner. George liked fishing because he could go out in the boat and relax on the lake. For a few years, he owned his own boat and really enjoyed it. When it came to music, George liked the oldies or country music. One of his favorite songs was "Butterfly Kisses," performed by Bob Carlisle. He also was a fan of Cher's music. His favorite football team was always the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would have loved to see the Steelers play in the Superbowl. He saw the playoff games and enjoyed them. He liked watching golf on television, especially golfer Tiger Woods. His favorite books were written by Stephen King, as he owned every book he ever wrote. And, he enjoyed reading novels by writer David Baldacci. He had great talents for woodworking. He built a cradle for Nicole's baby dolls and a headboard for the bed in the spare room. His favorite restaurant was Acapulco Mexican Restaurant and Cantina. The family held all of their fun celebrations at the Acapulco. As they enjoyed eating there regularly, the staff told them, "See you next weekend." They were always welcome customers. George's favorite beverage was hot tea, especially in the morning.

The best part of George's life was his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. To his immediate family, George often said, "I love you." He also advised them to "be careful" every time they walked out the door and left the house. For George, it was family first and he was always concerned for their safety. In many ways, his purpose in life was to care for his family and make sure they were okay. He put everyone before himself. He especially liked making Cindy happy. If she was happy, he was happy. George had a hidden talent for writing beautiful poems to his wife and extended family. The poems touched their hearts. George was so proud when Nicole graduated with an Associates Degree from Long Beach City College this past May. He was pleased that she pursued her dreams to work as a dental hygienist. He was proud of all of his children and loved playing with his grandchildren when they visited. He liked to laugh and expected everyone to do what was right. He had high expectations, as he didn't like anything that was stupid. Taking a stand for his neighborhood, he once served as Captain of his Neighborhood Watch. George loved his pets over the years, which included his golden retriever, Sadie, who is six, and his malti-poo, Bailey, who is three. The dogs were great companions, especially over the last few years when he was at home.

In 2005, George was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. He received a double lung transplant and triple heart bypass, but recently suffered chronic rejection. No matter what, George was a fighter all the way, even agreeing to two surgeries over the last five weeks. In his final days, he was surrounded by his family who talked to him and loved him. Nicole brought him a white board so he could write messages. He wrote about things he needed and he even wrote the words, "I love you." He had the best doctor who loved him, trying to think of everything to turn the situation around. George was fighting to save his life, but in the end, he went peacefully. His family hopes one day to be reunited with George as they feel he is at peace.

There are many memories of George, such as weekends spent together with his wife in Solvang and time spent with his family. People would be surprised to know of his talents as a writer, as he will be remembered as a loving yet serious, strong-willed hard worker. He was a wonderful husband who loved his wife so very much. Cindy will miss day-to-day life with George, as he was the one person she could always talk to in life. A terrific father, his children will miss everything about him. Nicole will miss coming home and telling her dad how she beat all the boys in co-ed soccer. He always had loving words such as "be careful." Brian remembers his father had great advice. If you needed help, he always had the best answer. George's advice for everyone would be to move forward, make him proud and don't cry for months and months over his death. Instead, he wanted everyone to miss him, but to be happy and go on with their lives. George will be buried with a Pittsburgh Steelers football by his side.

George was preceded in death by his parents Ethel and Delbert. He is remembered by his wife Cindy; son Geo and his wife Julie; son David and his wife Krista; son Brian; daughter Nicole; and grandchildren Joey, McKenzie, Jaden, Jace, Christopher, Kyle and Wade.

A letter written by George to his wife, Cindy, to celebrate their anniversary:

Cindy,

Fifteen years! It just can't be,
To be together, you and me.

Our time together has been so great,
I would do it again, I wouldn't hesitate.

Each day I thank my lucky star,
That you're as wonderful as you are.

Our time together seems to have gone so fast,
And that's too bad, I want it to last and last.

You actually are my world, you see,
And I hope and pray you always will be.

No words can really express my love,
I feel like you've been sent to me from up above.

I want to be with you the rest of my life,
Cause you truly are my most wonderful wife,

Happy Anniversary, I love you, George.

A poem written by George for his mother-in-law, Alice Frank.

They say that mother-in-laws are mean and cruel,
I'm here to say you are the exception to the rule.
You accepted my kids into your family,
You treated them great as anyone can see.
For your daughter, I'm sure, I was not your first choice,
But none of your misgivings did I ever hear you voice.
Your children think you're the greatest Mother there could be,
I know you're the best mother-in-law and you can take that from me.
I wanted to thank you for all that you've done,
And if there is a prize for the best, I know that you've won.