George B. Hadley, Jr.

George Breadalbane Hadley, Jr., 88, died on January 20, 2026, in Mapleton, Utah of causes incident to old age. He was born on February 20, 1937 in Pirate's Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada to George Breadalbane Hadley, Sr. and Mary Kathleen Maguire Hadley.

Lovingly known as GB, George B, Dad, Grandpa and Papa, George started his life in Mulgrave, Nova Scotia as the son of a boat captain, helping out on his dad's ship, the 'Scotia.' As the causeway was being built across the Canso Strait near his home, he worked as a night watchman, oiling and greasing trucks.

One particularly memorable time was when a ship ran into the causeway as it was being built. George was on the night shift and dealt with a very confused captain of the ship who hadn't seen the updated change on the map.

When the causeway was complete, there was no more need for the Scotia anymore, so he went to Quebec, working on the 'Bluenose' as a ship steward, working 24 hour shifts on and off as the ship went from Quebec to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and back.

After that, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, with his first wife Joan Leblanc, where his sister Pauline was living at the time. He worked in a sugar refinery where sugar cane was processed. He and Joan ('Chickie') then moved to Niagara Falls where he worked at a power plant for the falls. He and Chickie had a daughter, Kym and divorced when she was young.

The company he worked for in Niagara Falls had an opportunity to transfer to Southern California, so he made the life-changing decision to move there. Most of the rest of his career was doing maintenance work at different companies in that area.

It was while he was doing that work that he met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was born into a family that was part of the Anglican faith, full of ancestors who went on humanitarian missions around the world, to places like Bali, Indonesia, and others. He had a family history of faith. However, something about what the missionaries taught resonated with him and he was baptized and became a lifelong member of that church.

It was at a social event at church that he met his future wife and lifelong partner, Jacqueline Louise Pritchett Edmunds. Jackie had recently lost her husband due to illness and was left with four young children, ages 10 and younger. George and Jackie were married in 1972 and he adopted all four children and raised them as his own. He was an example to many of faithful devotion and loyalty to his family, with his gentle, fun-loving nature and exceptionally strong work and service ethic.

In 1996, George retired and he and Jackie moved to Mapleton, Utah where he would live for the rest of his life. Many wonderful family memories were made with trips, holiday traditions, Sunday dinners with extended family and lots of dad jokes and fun. He had a strong ability to love others and everyone around him felt that love.

He always stayed in contact with his family back home in Nova Scotia, and was a diligent and caring brother and uncle. When he would go back home to visit, he would always bring back a big box of live lobsters for a lobster boil with the family upon arrival.

He was preceded in death by: his parents, sister Pauline Sutherland, brothers Lorenzo, Peter and Michael Hadley, and wife Jackie.

He is survived by his brother, Philip Hadley, and children: Shannon (James) Young, Cynthia Edmunds, Heather (Brad) Young, Leif (Sharell) Edmunds and Kym Burt, 13 grandchildren, and 39 great-grandchildren.

He donated his body to the University of Utah to be used for educational purposes there.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 11 am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1580 North Main St. in Mapleton, UT.