George Edward Rector

George was born August 12, 1926, in Des Moines, Iowa, to George M. & Rena Rector. He was the youngest of their three children, including sister Flossie and brother Wilmer.

George attended McKinley Elementary School and then Lincoln High School. Shortly after he was born, he moved to Hamburg, Iowa, and then he moved back to Des Moines in 1936. His first job was selling ears of corn door-to-door as a child in Hamburg. He sold the ears for ten cents a dozen or twenty-five cents for three dozen. When back in Des Moines, he worked delivering groceries for $2.00 a week. At 16, he quit school to help with finances at home and got a job at Methlie & Son's Jewelry Store delivering (on foot) jewelry to retailers. He later received his G.E.D. George's skills were numerous, and he worked several jobs during his life, including: packer for Meredith Publishing; delivery boy for Iowa Paint; switchboard operator for Foxbilt Feeds; bookkeeper for Central National Bank; and auto & RV sales for various companies.

George was a member of Union Park Baptist Church. George enlisted in the U.S. Navy (Air Corp.) in October 1951, and he was honorably discharged in October 1955. He was an Electronics Technician during the Korean War. His most significant duty assignment was with VC-35 and his primary service was on an aircraft carrier, the USS Boxer. He served in Adak, Alaska (Aleutian Islands) & San Diego, California, but he also made trips to Hawaii, the Philippines. and Japan. He earned the following medals during his service to the United States: National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and China Service Medal.

George first met the love of his life, Marian, at a skating rink in Des Moines in 1941. They were married August 29, 1946. They had a difficult time conceiving a child, so adopted their daughter, Wendy, on November 11, 1962. They paid $191.53 for the adoption process. Apparently, this took the pressure off, because nine months and 11 days later, their son, Todd, was born on August 22, 1963. George and Marian were married 64 years when Marian passed away in March, 2011.

Probably the two characteristics that best describe George are generous and relational. He was well-known for wanting to help people out and giving away things - especially day-old bread! He wanted to be friends with whomever he met. As a child, he would buy comic books when they first came out for ten cents, using his lunch money. George quickly developed a relationship with the store owner, who decided to let George just borrow the comics and then return them. He liked getting a deal on everything. He also enjoyed singing and in 1946, he recorded a song on a record. His other interests included fishing, playing softball, chess & poker.

George died December 28, 2013. He was preceded in death by his spouse, Marian.

Left to cherish the memories of George are his children: Todd Rector and Wendy (Dave) Highsmith; grandchildren, Josh Rector, Jana (Steven) Rood, Joy Rector, and Ciera and AJ Highsmith; and great-grandson, Atticus Baker