George Enyeart, 96, passed February 14, 2024, under the care of Hospice at Bethany Retirement in Fargo, ND.
George Willis Enyeart was born August 12, 1927, in the family home on the southern shore of Lake Chelan, WA, to Daniel Orlando Enyeart and Mary (Banks) Enyeart. He was the oldest of five siblings. The young family moved to Decatur Island and Uncle Wendell (Dan’s brother) became an integral part of the family. The family eventually settled in Mount Vernon, WA, where George graduated from Junior High and High School. He enjoyed track, had a paper route, and worked at the local slaughterhouse. He floated down the Skagit River and rode the tide back up in a small rowboat, hunting and fishing along the way. A loaded shotgun balanced on the handlebars of his bicycle, ever on the lookout for game for the family table.
George joined the Army in 1946 and was shipped to join occupation forces as the battalion Supply NCO with the 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Division stationed at Camp Chuncheon, Korea during World War II. He was honorably discharged as a Sargeant in the Infantry Reserve in 1947. He returned to the US and spent time working alongside his dad on a ranch in eastern Washington. In 1950, he was placed with an artillery howitzer National Guard unit from New York and sent to Korea as part of the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1951. He attended Junior College in Mount Vernon for a year, then transferred and graduated from the University of Washington in 1953. He pursued his education at the Utah State Ag. College in Logan, Utah, and graduated in 1956 with a master’s degree in wildlife management.
George met his forever valentine, Marian Lay, while they were both attending college in Logan. He accepted a job as a biologist with the ND Game and Fish Dept. and went ahead to start work in North Dakota while Marian finished her college degree in Utah. They were married in Washington, December 27,1956. The newlyweds lived in Beulah, ND, for a short time where Marian was teaching high school, then moved to Riverdale, ND.
They bought land in 1969 on what would become the new Lake Audubon and moved a farmhouse onto a new basement foundation. It would be five more years before the water rose enough to be called lake shore.
George was based out of the Riverdale ND, Game and Fish district office. The Garrison Dam had just been completed at the time he accepted the position and wildlife management for the area was in a new phase. George was an active member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Garrison. He held offices in the Central Mountains & Plains section of the Wildlife Society, receiving the Professional Award in 1986. He retired from the Game and Fish Dept. in 1995.
Four girls were blessed to call him Dad. George gave them each a nickname and taught them endless skills including how to garden, grind sausage, pound a nail, pitch a tent, load a gun, and bait a hook. He enjoyed flying with the Game and Fish pilot to perform counts, trout fishing and camping in the Rockies, hunting on Mallard Island, tying flies, and wood carving. There was always a devoted dog at his side. He looked forward to deer camp and fresh liver, pickled beets and homemade mincemeat pie shared with his fellow hunters. George often lost track of time when out on an adventure and always came back with a story to tell.
Left to celebrate his life are daughters, Mary Ella Gilbertson of West Fargo ND, Laurel Enyeart of Malta MT, and Carrie (Patrick) Enyeart; grandchildren, Steven Gilbertson, Matthew (Nakita Estling) Gilbertson, and Rivers Perry; many extended family members and friends.
Gone ahead to find the perfect fishing hole are his wife, Marian; daughter, Paula Enyeart; his parents; Uncle Wendell; brothers, Walter Enyeart and Danny Enyeart; sisters, Marie Prestmo and Mary Lou Brady; and son-in-law Daniel Gilbertson.
Pet a dog, fill a feeder, watch geese fly a V formation…think of George who enjoyed all things living (with the exception of a few members of the rodent family).
Obituary photo credit: Larry Kruckenberg, circa 1970
Marian’s Obituary link: Marian Enyeart Obituary 2023 – Korsmo Funeral Service
There will be a Celebration Service for both George and Marian, Wednesday, May 16, 2024, at 11 AM, at First Congregational Church, Garrison, ND. Burial, with military honors, for George, will be at 3 PM, at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, ND.
There will be a Celebration and Commitment Service for both George and Marian, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 10:30 AM, at Johnston and Williams Funeral Home, Ellensburg, WA. Interment will take place at 11:30 AM, at Brick Road Memorial Park and High Valley Cemetery, Ellensburg.
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