Our Dad, George Kenneth Peck, passed away peacefully at the Flower Mound Presbyterian Hospital on Monday, July 20, 2020.

Born to Benjamin and Florence Peck on July 30, 1924, on a farm in Marshfield, Wisconsin, George was the 9th of 11 children and the last surviving sibling. At age 5 he experienced the Great Depression. At age 6 George's parents divorced and all the children were sent to relatives or foster homes.  George and his brothers, Bill and Everett, were sent to live with their father's sister and husband in Lansing, Michigan where George grew up, accepted Jesus Christ and joined the Seventh-day Adventist church.

In 1943 at the age of 19 before his senior year of high school, he was drafted into the US Armed Forces. When George arrived, he was placed in the infantry but requested to serve in the Medical Corps as a Surgical Tech. He was part of the D-Day Normandy invasion and took great pride in being part of that effort.  However, he fell in love with the German culture and spent the rest of his life studying the German language.  While in the service he received 4 Bronze Stars, 1 Bronze Arrowhead, a Good Conduct Medal, the Croix de Guerre, and the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal.

When George returned from World War II, he completed high school and earned his bachelor's degree in 1950 in microbiology from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.  His first job was a medical technician for the Indiana State Penitentiary Hospital.  In 1954 George met Muriel Parrish at a church campmeeting and they were married on March 13, 1955. In early 1956 their daughter, Mary, was born and two years later their son, Greg, was born.  In 1961 George took a job at the Seventh-day Adventist medical facility in Battle Creek, Michigan.  Wanting to move into management, George relocated the family in 1964 to earn his master's degree in Microbiology at Loma Linda University.  While attending school, he worked at the Loma Linda Medical Center Clinical Lab and Infectious Disease departments.

In 1970 George started his own business, Peck Media Labs, which produced auger plates and tubes required for various clinical lab tests.  He successfully ran this business until 1976 when he sold the business and continued as the general manager for another year.  In 1977 George and Muriel moved to the Chicago, Illinois area to work at the Seventh-day Adventist owned Hinsdale Hospital, where they both worked until retirement. They retired in Cedaredge, Colorado enjoying life on the slope of the Grand Mesa with several other family members, while George served as head elder of their local church.

In 1978 George found his new passion for life as a grandpa when Mary had her first son.  George and Muriel eventually had 6 grandchildren, Brandon, Kenneth, Angelica, Timothy, Sydney, and Garrett and 8 great grandchildren, Skyler, Madison, Ray, Miles, Emersyn, Rocky, Alyse, and Alynn.

Through all of George's life, nature and the mountains have been one of his favorite places including living on forty acres outside of Marshfield, in the Mountains of Southern California or volunteering at the US Forest Service while living close to the snowcapped peaks of Colorado.  He loved animals, as long as someone else was feeding them and working on projects.  As far as sports goes, he loved playing sports himself, but could not understand taking time to watch the professionals.

His primary purpose in life has always been to have a close walk with Jesus Christ and to share that love with family, friends, and the stranger in need.  As the leader in his home he always held family worship morning and night, took time to pray, teach, study and to participate in weekly church services.

In 2016 his beloved wife, Muriel, passed away from leukemia and George realized he was unable to live on his own.  Never wanting to be a burden on others, George chose to move to an assisted living community in Highland Village, Texas.  He stayed active in the community while playing games, socializing in the dining room, and eating out.  He looked forward to seeing Greg and his family as well as his church family each week.  When we would pick him up for church and after asking how he was, he usually said, "I'm still breathing, but the girls move too fast!"  In March 2020 those visits came to a halt when COVID-19 hit and all exposure to people outside his community was eliminated.  Unfortunately, even with all the care and protection the community provided, George came down with this cruel virus a week before it took away his ability to continue breathing.

George and Muriel are greatly missed but the comfort is that God has a place for them and the next time we see them they will be young and vibrant.  Sleep well Mom and Dad.