George Davidson Hitler Jr.

George Davidson Hitler Jr. of Chapel Hill, NC, beloved husband, loving father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2025 at the age of 87 years old. He was born in 1937 in Cincinnati, OH to George Sr. and Janet Hitler and grew up in East Grand Rapids, MI and Wauwatosa, WI.
George attended Northwestern University graduating in business with the class of 1959. While at Northwestern he played on the Wildcat tennis team and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Honest and trustworthy, George was a person of strong moral principles. Always organized and a planner to the core, he had a successful career in the tire industry in sales and marketing management with Firestone, Seiberling, and Michelin North America.
A lifelong sports enthusiast, George was a loyal Northwestern Wildcat, an enthusiastic Ohio State Buckeye and a faithful eighty year Chicago Cubs fan. He won several state junior tennis championships and captained his high school tennis team to a state title. He qualified for the junior nationals and later played tennis for Northwestern University. In his retirement years, he was able to enjoy winning state championships on a USTA senior men's team, and with his wife, Karen, on a senior mixed doubles team. George taught his children to be competitive tennis players. With friends and family, he had wonderful memories of his 37 yearly trips to NYC to attend the US Open Tennis Tournament.
George always had an impressive vegetable garden at every house he lived in and grew the most delicious tomatoes. He enjoyed traveling, reading, attending musical and sporting events, and regularly enrolled in Duke's Olli Lifelong Learning program. Spending special time with his grandchildren brought him great joy as he followed their activities and achievements.
George is survived by Karen, his wife and best friend of 54 years, son George and Crisanne of Columbus, OH, his daughter Kate and Peter Leech of Lake Forest, IL, grandchildren Kendall, George, Rodger, Caroline, Henry and Emma, sister Sally and Jim Young of Atherton, CA, brother Peter Hitler of Mequon, WI and numerous other relatives.
A memorial service will be held at a later date at the family chapel and cemetery in Circleville, OH. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in honor of George's son-in-law, Peter Leech (www.michaeljfox.org).