George William Adams

On December 20, 2025, George (Bill) Adams passed away in Huntsville, Alabama. During his life he had a wide circle of people he loved - family, friends, and neighbors. He was born in Iowa on August 18, 1935.

He grew up in Sabula, IA, an island city on the Mississippi River. There he hunted, fished, and carried out untold shenanigans with his brothers, Ernie and Fred, and with his friends. When he was 15 years old, he saw Janet Holtzman at a roller rink. She refused to skate with him. That didn't dissuade him, though. He married Janet a handful of years later, on July 3, 1955. They were married for sixty-five years, until her death in 2020. Even then, he still thought she was as beautiful as she was on the first day he saw her.

He loved entertaining at the cabin where he and Janet lived on Apple Canyon Lake. Few things brought him more joy than watching his grandchildren, grandnieces, and grandnephews catch a bucket of bluegill in the spring. He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan and liked to golf, mostly with his brother Ernie.

He lived a life of quiet service. He believed that serving your neighbor is what holds communities together. He sat on police boards, helped his neighbors pump water out of their flooded basements, and connected sick children to charity hospitals. He folded clothing at a local church's thrift store and donated many gallons of blood. Helping when needed was a guiding principle in his life.

He served in the U.S. Army's 11th Airborne Division and attended DeVry Technical Institute before choosing a career in civil service. He worked for the Department of Defense and then the Federal Aviation Administration, where he retired as a Systems Engineer.

He is survived by his son and daughter, Douglas Adams (Amelia) and Robin Barnes (Chris); grandchildren Jessica Wilson (Robert), Jonathan Adams, Elizabeth Spayde Barnes (Travis Portz), and Rachel Barnes; great grandchildren Robert Wilson, Jack Wilson, and George Wilson. He was preceded in death by his wife, Janet (Holtzman) Adams; parents, Ralph and Clara Ethel (Croce) Adams; brothers, Fred Adams and Ernest Adams; sister in law, Nancy (Ohlsen) Adams; nephew, Curtis Adams (Roxanne); and great-granddaughter, Mary Wilson.

There will be a memorial service in Sabula, IA, and interment in Schapville, IL, at a time yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Shriners Children's, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, or honor him by donating blood.