George Edward Camden

George Edward Camden, 64, of Yakima died June 19, 2010 at home under hospice care after a long battle with liver cancer.

George was born November 18, 1945, to George and Eileen (Cain) Camden. He grew up in a little house on Cornell Avenue with his sisters, Jeanne and Esther, and brothers, Robert and Todd. George attended St. Paul's Grade School and Marquette High School, graduating in 1964. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in Turkey, Italy, and Key West, Fla. A favorite book of his was Joseph Heller's "Catch 22." After the service, he continued his education at Yakima Valley Community College and earned a bachelor's degree from Central Washington University.

George's first passion was his family and he remembered the day he met Mary (Lyons) as the day his life took on its real meaning. She was his beloved wife for 27 years. Their marriage was a true partnership. He cherished her and their children, Michael and Helen, and took every opportunity to note how lucky he was to have such a beautiful family. Despite his long illness he was able to see Michael graduate from Seattle University in 2009 and Helen a month ago from St. Martin's University. His pride in them and his love for them was unbounded.

From childhood, George displayed a wide-ranging curiosity and a fascination with details. He had a master recall of random and sometimes arcane facts about various and sundry topics, from, at age 4, rattling off the length of a giraffe's tongue to the etiology of today's 3-D technology. As anyone who engaged in a trivia quiz with him can attest, this was a gift George kept finely tuned. (A box of Trivial Pursuit cards was an essential part of every family road trip.) He also loved the gentle debate, taking the facts he had at hand and applying them to the bigger picture, always trying to find the balanced perspective that left us feeling that he respected our point of view, too. And, George loved a good story. To hear him tell his favorite handsome lion in the jungle joke with all its attendant flourishes and inflections was to see an artist at work. He loved telling it and it never grew old. The icing on the cake was George's quiet but belly-shaking chuckle and satisfied grin.


A film buff, George looked forward to the international film festival and was equally fond of big box office hits. To keep us on our toes, he would often take Leonard Maltin's film guide off of the shelf for an impromptu movie quiz. And, he loved to read -- fact, fiction, reference, Sports Illustrated, the Yakima Herald Republic -- whatever he could get his hands on. George also enjoyed listening to all kinds of music, especially favoring the classics from his early adult years. Currently on his iPod were Smokey Robinson and James Taylor among others. Until he became ill, George looked forward to long day-hikes in the Cascades with Mary and fishing in the spots he'd once fished with his brother Robert.

George was committed to his work and valued the many friends he made at Yakima County Community Services over the past 30 years. He wanted to bring compassion to the job and felt the real measure of his success was whether or not he had helped meet the clients' needs. While keeping this goal in mind, he was realistic and saw the need to be disciplined and work in a reasoned and measured way, always doing his best to do the right thing.


The family wishes to thank Dr. Odette Cojocaru of Memorial Hospital and our hospice nurse, Cheri Alexander, and social worker, Esther Arrendondo of Memorial Hospital Hospice Service as well as the many friends whose kindnesses and support have comforted the family during George's illness.

George is survived by his wife, Mary; son, Michael of Bellevue; daughter, Helen of Olympia; sisters, Jeanne Choiniere (Eugene) of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Esther of Beaverton, Ore.; brother, Todd of Yakima; and his many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Robert; and infant sister, Mary Elizabeth.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM Friday, June 25, 2010 in the St. Paul Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, the family requests remembrances to Children's Village or the Montessori School of Yakima. To share a memory of George please visit www.keithandkeith.com.