George William Hooper

George William Hooper, born March 13, 1931; passed away July 29, 2015. Only child of John Hooper and Mildred Strauser. Survived by wife Grace (née Johnson); sons, daughter and grandchildren Kent Hooper (Ian, Maeve), Eric Hooper (Annie, Sarah) and Nancy Witter and son-in-law Randy (Jason, Drew, Ryan); brother-in-law Charles Johnson and friends. George spent his formative years in Western Springs, IL. He studied at MIT, where he was a record-setting shot-putter and member of Alpha Tau Omega. After serving proudly as a submariner for four years during the Korean War, he returned to complete a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the U of Illinois. Joining his father at the J.R. Hooper Company, George was awarded patents for inventions and enjoyed a long career in the conveyor manufacturing industry. He and Grace retired to Gig Harbor, WA nearly twenty years ago. George truly was a generous and selfless provider—tone deaf, he nonetheless spent a fortune on musical instruments for his wife and children; not a water bug, he was still happy to outfit the family with an endless succession of boats; he was a calm, gentle, man with a quiet sense of humor. All his survivors agree though, he was also physically the strongest person they had ever known. He would just chuckle when faced with a set of home weights and say: “Just put them all on the bar; I think I’ll be fine.”  He carried everyone in his family on his broad shoulders, and he will be missed greatly. A memorial service will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers please donate to the Bremerton US Submarine Veterans Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 465, Silverdale, WA 98383.

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