George William Nelis

1929 - 2021

XENIA — George William Nelis, age 92 peacefully passed away at his residence in Xenia, Ohio on July 12, 2021. He was born July 4, 1929 in Dayton, Ohio to Frank A Nelis and Elsie M (Pruitt) Nelis. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister Dorothy (Nelis) Nicholson. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 72 years Joan (Potts) Nelis; as well as their three daughters, Connie Nelis, Susan Courtney, and Lorri (David) Doherty; grandchildren Laura (Ryan) Taylor, Bryan (Alyssa) Courtney, Sean (Erin) Doherty, Lisa (Joshua) Kalinowski, Bridget Doherty, and Maggie Doherty; 7 great grandchildren; and special friends Dalan Courtney, Don Slaton and his daughter Donna Slaton. George and Joan met at age 15 in Dayton at a high school music contest. They wed at 19 and began a life together, spending all their years in the Dayton/Bellbrook/Xenia area. George graduated in 1947 from Fairview H.S., playing on the baseball team. He was recognized with an award for batting .444 his senior year. He and Joan spent many weekends on their boat on the Ohio River. He was a member of the United States Power Squadrons (America's Boating Club of Dayton) for 61 years earning 50 merit marks which included serving on the board as the Commander. George also taught Power Squadron Safety Boating in the Dayton area for many years. George had a brilliant mechanical mind and loved to tinker with whatever he could get his hands on. If something was broken, he was guaranteed to be able to fix it. He spent a number of years constructing homes in the area with his building partner Don Slaton. He later retired from Reynolds + Reynolds as a Maintenance Supervisor of plumbing, electrical, and mechanical in the Business Forms Division. Additionally, he served several years on the R+R Credit Union Board. George's body was donated to Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine. His service of life will be honored at a later date. The family wishes to extend their deep appreciation to those associated with Dayton Alzheimer's Assoc. and Crossroads Hospice for their caring and support.