George Harold Robertson

1931 - 2025

George Harold Robertson

December 2, 1931 - May 15, 2025

Newcastle, California - George Robertson passed away on Thursday, May 15th, 2025 at the age of 93.

George was born on December 2, 1931 in Oakland, California to Nettie and Alexander Robertson. He spent his first few years in Fair Play, CA, where his mom worked as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse, followed by a longer stint in Folsom, CA. Even though his childhood was marked by poverty and hardship, George found a lot of joy in the country life and described his childhood as having a "richness of life that would be hard to duplicate in modern times." He loved playing with his dogs Queenie and Silver, getting into mischief with his siblings, Marilyn and Tom, and riding his neighbor's horse "Bones." He loved school, and was always an exemplary student. In fact, George's teacher regularly gave him satisfactory marks in "dependability," "courteousness" and "trustworthiness." Albeit, his teacher was also his mother, but all nepotism aside, his family can attest that even as a nonagenarian, this still rang true for good old George. With some "fatherly pushing" from principal and superintendent Ed Mitchell, he graduated as valedictorian of Folsom High School in 1948.

George was always ambitious and determined. As a kid and adolescent, he worked as a custodian, yard worker, farm worker, and meat market apprentice. George spent the majority of his college savings on medical bills for his brother's young son, Cecil. Despite this, he put himself through college, and even hitchhiked for a couple of years from Folsom to Sacramento in order to obtain an education. Good thing he did, too, because he met his wife, Marianne, during his first day of Herb Blossom's geography class at Sacramento City College. They were married in 1953.

Together, George and Marianne raised 5 children in Newcastle, CA. After a two year stint as a member of Company B 45th Infantry of the U.S. Army, George earned a teaching credential and then a Masters degree from Sacramento State University. He taught for many years at Kit Carson Junior High and Sutter (now Miwok) Middle School - both in Sacramento - before becoming a principal at Sacramento Opportunity School, Charles M. Goethe Middle School, California Middle School, and C.B. Wire Elementary School. George retired in 1991, and spent much of his retirement flying airplanes, fixing up his Model A and Model T, attending sporting events for his grandchildren (who affectionately referred to him as "Grumpy"), giving lots of treats to the family dogs, and losing at cards to his loving, and competitive wife, Marianne.

George loved reading. He could go through a book a day, sitting in his comfy chair by the fireplace. His appreciation for the little things, curated in childhood, never went away. You could make George's whole day with a simple phone call or brown-bagged pastry. He was always early to every event ("if you're not early, you're late!") and lovingly worried about his family as we climbed trees and had water fights in canoes ("someone's going to get hurt!"). He always looked forward to any excuse to spend time with his family, and relished holidays and annual family trips to Sunriver, Oregon that spanned over 3 decades. Nothing made him happier than being with his family, except for maybe chocolate milkshakes. He really liked those.

George is preceded in death by his mother Nettie, father Alexander, sister Marilyn and brother-in-law Bill, brother Tom, and good friends Frank Perry, Merv Hall, and Bud Anderson, to name a few. He is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, Marianne; his five children Tracy (Craig), Jill (Joe), Jeff (Tina), Amy, and Annie (Tom); ten grandchildren Abby (Jared), Amanda, Eric, Rob (Laura), Scott (Sarah), Kelsey (Phil), Sophie, Taryn, Charlotte, and Lauren (David); two bonus grandchildren Liz (Mike) and Kristin; six great-grandsons Carter, Stuart, Gabe, Graham, Sebastian, and Charlie; and the Folsom Bailey family, which includes many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly.

In his autobiography that he wrote for his family, George states that he made the decision to write about his life so that family can know "something of substance about the family history no matter how minute or insignificant."

To his friends and family, George was anything but "minute or insignificant." George Robertson was, is, and forever will be deeply loved and cherished by all who knew him. We love you, Georgie, Dad and Grumpy.