George William Launchbaugh

George William Launchbaugh passed away Saturday, October 5, 2013, at Hays Regional Medical Center in Hays, Kansas at the age of 97. He was born the third child of Tallis and Ella (Dedrick) Launchbaugh on March 21, 1916 in the family home in the McGraw neighborhood of Union Township, Sheridan County, Kansas. George spent his childhood learning to work on the family farm and attending most of his grade school years at the nearby McGraw rural schoolhouse. He graduated from Dresden High School with the Class of 1934. Soon thereafter George left home to earn a living driving truck, hauling grain and produce from Greeley, Colorado to the markets at Nebraska, Iowa and Texas. The trucker instinct never left him and in all his travels thereafter he always knew the highway number and where the next corner was located. When World War II broke out, George was employed in Portland, Oregon as a welder in the shipyards. Because those skills were highly valued, he remained in that position until 1942 when he joined the Navy as a ship fitter. Stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, he repaired damaged submarines until he was injured in a workplace accident. After a long convalescence, he was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1944. He returned to farming, when his health allowed, and also worked as a welder with Hank Kasper in the oilfields. On December 23, 1944, George William Launchbaugh and Carolyn Marie Leist were united in marriage at the United Methodist parsonage in Hoxie, Kansas. They resided on the Launchbaugh family farm in Union Township their entire married life. To this marriage two children were born, a son George Steven, and a daughter Carol Lee. George and Carolyn worked together as partners in their farming operation until their retirement in the late 1970s when their son Steven took over. Retirement years were spent in Texas fishing and developing close friendships with other winter snowbirds. George served as a volunteer rural firefighter for 40 years. He was a lifetime member of the McGraw United Methodist Church and the Disabled American Veterans, and a member of Jennings American Legion Post #351. He bowled on local leagues for many years, and attended many sporting and band events during the years his children were in the Hoxie school system. He never met anyone who was a stranger for long, and during his long life he had many friends and made many acquaintances. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tallis and Ella; wife, Carolyn; brother, Vernon T. Launchbaugh; and sister, Ura Mae Long. Survivors include son, Steven Launchbaugh and wife, Kathy of McGraw; daughter, Carol Metro and husband, Mike of Salina; granddaughter, Michelle Kinnick and husband, Rob of Platte City, Missouri; four grandsons, Curtis and Nick Metro of Salina, G.G. Launchbaugh of Hoxie, and Karl Launchbaugh of Glenvil, Nebraska; 11 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; nieces, a nephew, and a host of friends.