George Middlemas

88, WWII Army vet was a buyer for Montgomery Ward and Sears; charter member of Elks Lodge 2705
George Middlemas, 88, an active and contented resident of Laurie for the last 30 years, died Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, surrounded by his family, at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Mo.  
George was born July 28, 1921, in Albuquerque, N.M., when the population there was only 15,000.
His uncle Roy Storey Middlemas, a mechanical engineer and bank vault designer, adopted him. George was raised in both New York City and Radburn, N.J. He attended the Oakland Military Academy in Oakland, N.J., and then Columbia University in New York City, where he studied engineering. He was a life guard during the summers.
George joined the U.S. Army and served in the Infantry during the Second World War, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant as he was transferred to England.
While in Great Britain, he lost his only brother, a decorated airman, to anti-aircraft fire. George was wounded in a Jeep accident, transferred to a hospital ship, and finally returned to the United States, near the end of the war.
He met and married his bride Audrey Mae Stickney of Springfield, Ill. They had four children. For professional reasons, he moved his family to Kansas City, Kan., where his family of six grew to maturity. During this time, George opened his home and his family’s hearts to serve as hosts for several foreign students attending the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Early in his career, George worked for Montgomery Ward as a buyer of textile products and later was recruited to Sears and Roebuck Company, where he bought large quantities of merchandise each season for their retail catalogue division. He retired from there in 1968.  For several years after that, he purchased and managed real estate.  
When George was a young boy he led a somewhat isolated life. As an adult, he devoted himself to his family and a demanding work schedule.
It was not until he retired and moved with his wife to the lakeside in Laurie andjoined Elks Lodge 2705 as a founding member that he finally began to enjoy the sense that he was an integral part of a cohesive, loving community of brothers and sisters.
He loved to look out at the lake from his deck or through his windows, watch his family, now consisting of grand children and great grandchildren, grow, and to revel in the sense of belonging, for the first time in his life.
George used his retirement to shift his focus to serving others. Quietly and with no desire for notoriety, he served in many capacities. He was involved in helping to sustain a medical clinic for the Laurie residents; he participated in programs to clothe and provide supplies for less privileged school children, and participated in countless charitable endeavors.
He also served in many capacities with the Elks, was a member of the American Legion, was water board president for “O” Road, and was delighted to be involved in this community that he loved.
Sadly, on Aug. 25 of this year, George suffered from a sudden debilitating accident in which both his legs were broken. An underlying autoimmune lung disease had already compromised his general condition and this accident caused his demise, earlier than expected. He spent the last 66 days of his life in bed, unable to walk.
Even so, he continued to counsel his wife and children, until he could no longer do so. He was in many ways the center of strength and reason for his children. He is survived by Audrey, his wife of 67 years, and a host of family and friends who loved him.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Shrine of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Laurie.  Interment will follow in the St. Patrick Cemetery. 
The family will receive friends from 5-6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the Shrine of St. Patrick Catholic Church with a rosary at 6 p.m. 
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Osage Community Elks Lodge 2705 in Laurie, the Kansas City Hospice House, 12000 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO 64145, or to the American Legion Zack Wheat Post 624 in Sunrise Beach. 
Expressions of sympathy may be left online at www.kidwellgarber.com.  Arrangements are under the direction of the Kidwell-Garber Laurie/Sunrise Beach Chapel.