George Merz

1926 - 2024

One of the last great western pioneers and a man whose legacy stretches across the Southwest has passed peacefully away, another of the giants of the Greatest Generation whose shadow will linger long on the American borderlands.Born Feb. 10, 1926, George Merz epitomized many of the ideals of his era a cowboy, engineer and entrepreneur who took to the skies aboard a B-29 bomber during World War II and returned home to connect some of America's largest cities as superintendent of major road projects.The son of Louis and Elsie Merz, George grew up on farm and ranchland his family owned off of Proctor Valley Road in Jamul, California, attending a one-room schoolhouse on their property. He wasn't allowed inside his house by Elsie except in the evenings, mealtime or on rainy days. He instead spent his time delivering hay and cattle alongside his father in a 1919 GMC pickup truck and studying the ways of cowboys such as Stacy Holmes and Jimmy Metcalf.While still in high school, he cut his cowhand's teeth working cattle at Rancho Jamul. His father would assure Elsie a Stanford Hospital-trained nurse that if George ever fell off his horse, the horse at least would come home.George got his first taste of business building rabbit traps with his uncle, Clarence Ferguson, and selling their catch for 15 cents each along a route of customers. He didn't like catching jackrabbits because they kick.He saved up to buy a 1936 Ford Coupe at 16 and graduated high school that same year, striking out to cowboy at ranches throughout Southern California. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in April 1944. Compared to cowboy life, he thought basic training was a utopia and the food was fantastic. He flew missions from Cuba, and said Ernest Hemingway could have written an entire novel about the experiences he had in Havana between flights. He was on his way to Okinawa to join the Pacific Theater when Japan surrendered and the war ended. After receiving his discharge in 1946, George purchased a small sand plant that he operated until 1948, when he married Dorothy Haworth. A month later, he started classes at what was then New Mexico A&M University, studying civil engineering.The next year, when he grew tired of paying rent for an apartment, he built a home for himself and Dorothy. It inspired him to start a small construction business that supported his education until the beginning of the Korean War, when he was recalled to serve as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. Originally stationed at Biggs Air Force Base in El Paso, he transferred to Ernest Harmon Air Force Base in Newfoundland, where his first daughter, Barbara, was born.Once George and his family returned to the United States, he served as a civil engineer building infrastructure for the newly reactivated Clovis Air Force Base, where his second daughter, Janet, was born.In 1955, George became project manager for construction at Connolly Air Force Base in Waco, Texas. This led to a new job managing contracts for a project rebuilding a portion of U.S. Highway 270 in Oklahoma, then as a project superintendent for segments of Interstate 8 in San Diego. The family eventually moved to Fort Worth, where George served as general superintendent during the early days of the nation's interstate highway system, contributing to Interstate 20 and the development and road construction of The Woodlands outside Houston, Texas. George retired at 52 and opened an equipment rental business. When he sold the business in 1983, he and Dorothy put their home on the market, their furniture in storage and ordered a 40-foot fifth-wheel trailer a novelty at the time that drew attention wherever they traveled to tour the western U.S. When they finished their travels, George designed and built a beautiful split-level stucco home overlooking orchards and stables only miles from where he grew up on Proctor Valley Road in his hometown, Jamul. In 1986, George and Dorothy divorced, and two years later, he married his second wife, Kris, who remained his companion, friend and partner until his death.During this time, George served as President of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Jamul and he and Kris joined the equestrian group Los Senderos de San Diego.In 2001, George and Kris bought a cabin overlooking Lake Cuyamaca in the mountains of Julian, California. When The Cedar Fire burned the cabin down in 2003, George and Kris built a new one and remained active in the community, with George serving as CEO of the Lake Cuyamaca Foundation as well as on countless boards throughout southern California.He also wrote a series of articles for The Jamul Shopper, recounting his life and the history of the region, which his family was foundational in developing after arriving in 1884. Janet later helped him compile these articles into a book, "Jamul History: Living Memories of George Louis Merz." At 97 years old, George moved with Kris to Midland, where George quickly made friends at The Village at Manor Park and led excursions to the weekly steak night. He died on his own terms, secure in the knowledge he had accomplished everything he was going to accomplish. George exuded many of the characteristics of the cowboys he idolized as a youth. He was tough, capable and independent, but loved telling a good story and would often laugh so hard he'd have trouble getting to the punchline of his jokes. His legacy impacts millions of travelers in two of the nation's largest states, yet he was perhaps best at building devoted friendships in all of his many stops. "George was as involved as a man half his age could be in his community," said Butch Paddock, General Manager of the Lake Cuyamaca Recreation & Park District. "You think you know someone by having a morning cup of coffee, watching 'Andy of Mayberry,' John Wayne movies, and 'Dances With Wolves' then you really get to know him." He is preceded in death by his parents, Louise and Elsie, as well as his brother, Johnny.His passing is mourned by his wife, Kris, and his daughters, Barbara Chandler and Janet Georgas and her husband, Ted. He is also mourned by his grandsons, Cory and his wife, Summer, and their children, Mason and Hadley; and Andy and his wife, Rachel, and their children, Grace, Gray, John and Eloise.Services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18 at Greenwood Memorial Park and Mortuary, 4300 Imperial Avenue in San Diego, with a reception to follow at 4 p.m. at The Ole Firehouse at Lake Cuyamaca, 15027 Highway 79 in Julian.In lieu of flowers, please honor his memory by contributing to the charity of your choice.