Menu
George Walborn
George Shaffer Walborn, born Aug. 3, 1915, near Freeburg, Pa., died July 25, 2009, in Mountain Home.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 30, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. at St. James Episcopal Church and burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery, Mountain Home. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, in Mountain Home.
He was the second of four children born to William and Maude Walborn. He attended country schools for the first eight years, followed by high school at the Freeburg Academy.
George set out on the first major adventure of his life when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of eighteen in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression. He boarded a ship in New York City which took him through the Panama Canal to San Francisco, and then on to his first duty station, Fort Shafter in the Territory of Hawaii.
His military service saw him receive his commission in the Army Air Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS) in 1942. He then served in a number of communication and electronics training billets through the time where he was the commander of a communication squadron. He became involved in providing communication for the first atomic bomb tests.
During George's subsequent assignments, he was pleased to serve in Madrid, Spain; Biloxi, Miss.; the Pentagon; and Montgomery, Ala. usually in duty positions in which he was training United States Air Force (USAF) communicator and radar personnel or working with archivists to document the history of communications and electronics within the fledgling Air Force.
After retiring from active duty in 1969, he worked for several years for Lockheed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. George made a "final" retirement in Montgomery, Ala., where he continued to enjoy hunting, fishing, playing golf, and amateur radio work.
He and his wife, Ora, made one last move to Mountain Home in 1985 to be nearer to their son Chet (Soapy), as Ora's health was failing.
After Ora's death, George married Clara Clark. He and Clara both loved life and exploring new locations. Those who knew him would often ask "Wherešs the next trip?" George and Clara had five wonderful years together before the Lord asked Clara to come home.
George then found companionship with Jonita Wertz and they continued to travel and enjoy life until George's health declined.
George volunteered in many places in Mountain Home Channel 8, the Visitor's Center, the Senior Center, and the Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the advisory council for RSVP in Elmore, Ada, and Canyon Counties. He was the Elmore County representative to the Area Agency on Aging. George Walborn is survived by: a brother, Lee, of Pennsylvania; a son, Chester (Soapy), of Mountain Home; three grandson; Chet of Boise, Bret of Tampa Florida, and Jack (Patti) of Mountain Home; and three great-grandchildren (Leah, John, and Nicholas).
Georgešs family wishes to thank all the wonderful staff and caregivers at the Elmore medical Center Long Term Care unit.
Memorial contributions can be made to a charity of your choice.