George F. NEMETZ

NEMETZ, George F.
George F. Nemetz was born on May 12, 1925 in Gary, IN and passed away in the early hours on Wednesday, September 8, 2011 in Carmichael, CA. He was the beloved husband of Karen S. Nemetz and the devoted father of Kathleen Nemetz, Susan Nemetz de la Loza (Alejandro), Mark Nemetz, and Michael Nemetz (Mona). He was a loving grandfather to Lorenzo de la Loza, Morgana Sidhom, and Spencer and Sydney Nemetz.

After graduation from Horace Mann High School in Gary, IN, he entered the military and joined the Army Air Corp. He became a navigator on both B-17's and B-29's planes. After WWII, he enrolled at Michigan State University, earning a B.A. in English, and later a M.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan.

He came to California to begin a long, interesting career as an outstanding educator. His first teaching job (1954) was in Elk Grove, CA at Elk Grove High School, where he taught both English and Drama. During his tenure at Elk Grove High School, he received a John Hay Fellowship to Harvard University where he enjoyed a yearlong experience doing advanced study in English and Education.

After returning from Harvard, he joined the California Department of Education, where he spent the next 25 years as the Consultant in English. He was instrumental in the formation of a number of programs such as the Writing and Literature that are continuing in the Department. He began the English Teacher Specialist Program and was active in Area III English projects. He was a member of C.A.T.E. (California Association of the Teachers of English), where he served on their board for many years.

After he retired, he served as the volunteer drama coach at Cottage Elementary School in the S.J.U.S.D., a position that gave him great pleasure. George had a great many interests, which included attending the theater, in both Sacramento and San Francisco, being a 30-year subscriber to the San Francisco Opera, loving Shakespeare and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, reading, gardening, fire works on July 4th and especially traveling. He and his wife, Karen, visited more than 55 countries and walked on six continents. He enjoyed his many friends and loved to sing with his Barber Shop Quartet group (Bob Batey, John Draper, and John Mahoney) in Elk Grove. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Viewing will be on Friday, September 9th, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m at the Sierra View Chapel, located at 6201 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael. The funeral Mass will be at our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, 5057 Cottage Way, Carmichael (corner of Walnut Ave. and Cottage Way) on Saturday, Sept. 10th, at 10:00 a.m. A reception will follow at the church social hall. A private burial will take place in the early afternoon on Saturday. Contributions to the Assistance League of Sacramento, 2528 Yorktown Ave., Sacramento, CA 95821 would be appreciated or to a charity of your choice. Flowers are also welcome.