George Lee Ice |
| 6/11/2017 |
George Lee Ice, 93, passed away on Sunday, June 11th at his Anderson area residence.
He was born October 4, 1923 in northwestern Delaware County, Indiana to Thomas and Druzzilla (Barrett) Ice. He retired from Delco-Remy Division of General Motors in Anderson in 1985 after 43 years of service. He was also a farmer.
George was a 1943 graduate of Fairmount High School in Fairmount, Indiana. His employment with General Motors was interrupted by his service in the U.S. Merchant Marine starting in the fall of 1943 as a seaman and ended as a boatswain (deck officer) in 1948. During WWII, he served in the Arctic, North Atlantic, and Pacific theaters of the war which included hazardous Arctic maritime convoys to Murmansk, Russia to transport war supplies to Russian allies fighting on the Eastern European and Arctic fronts, participating in D-Day operations in Normandy, France by transporting war supplies and landing craft, and refueling air and naval bases in the Pacific. He served on the Liberty freighters SS Hawkins Fudske and SS Zane Grey and on the oil tanker MS Sabine Sun. After WWII and honorable discharge from wartime duties by the U.S. Coast Guard, his maritime service involved working for the Sun Oil Company (Sunoco) tanker fleet based in Philadelphia transporting crude oil products from the U.S. Gulf Coast, Aruba, Mexico and Venezuela. He also later served as a squad leader in a mortar platoon of Company D, 151st Infantry Regiment of the Indiana Army National Guard from June 1948 to June 1951.
He is survived by his wife of over 67 years, Olza (Blakey) Ice; son, Monte (Belinda) Ice of Fort Wayne; daughter, Belinda (Dan) Flickinger of Noblesville; two grandsons; Christopher Ice of St. Paul, MN and Daniel (Mary) Flickinger of Indianapolis; two granddaughters; Susan (Seung Chul) Hong of Chicago, IL and Camille Ice of Fort Wayne; four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, 11 siblings. George was a friend and mentor to numerous persons throughout his life, providing personal assistance and compassion during times of need. He enjoyed following high school, collegiate and professional basketball games, auto racing, and raising 4-H show and registered steers for family members and fellow enthusiasts. The peak of these activities was when one of his bulls won national championship at the 1987 American Cattlemen Association judging in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended New Horizons United Methodist Church in Anderson. He was a member of United Auto Workers Local 662 and one of the 100 founding members of the U. S. Chianina Cattle Breeders Association and loved farming.
Showing will be 10 to 11 a.m. and service will be 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Home in Anderson with Rev. John Hackney officiating. Interment will be in Anderson Memorial Park Cemetery. The U.S. Navy will conduct military honors.
Post online condolences at www.rozelle-johnson.com.
He was born October 4, 1923 in northwestern Delaware County, Indiana to Thomas and Druzzilla (Barrett) Ice. He retired from Delco-Remy Division of General Motors in Anderson in 1985 after 43 years of service. He was also a farmer.
George was a 1943 graduate of Fairmount High School in Fairmount, Indiana. His employment with General Motors was interrupted by his service in the U.S. Merchant Marine starting in the fall of 1943 as a seaman and ended as a boatswain (deck officer) in 1948. During WWII, he served in the Arctic, North Atlantic, and Pacific theaters of the war which included hazardous Arctic maritime convoys to Murmansk, Russia to transport war supplies to Russian allies fighting on the Eastern European and Arctic fronts, participating in D-Day operations in Normandy, France by transporting war supplies and landing craft, and refueling air and naval bases in the Pacific. He served on the Liberty freighters SS Hawkins Fudske and SS Zane Grey and on the oil tanker MS Sabine Sun. After WWII and honorable discharge from wartime duties by the U.S. Coast Guard, his maritime service involved working for the Sun Oil Company (Sunoco) tanker fleet based in Philadelphia transporting crude oil products from the U.S. Gulf Coast, Aruba, Mexico and Venezuela. He also later served as a squad leader in a mortar platoon of Company D, 151st Infantry Regiment of the Indiana Army National Guard from June 1948 to June 1951.
He is survived by his wife of over 67 years, Olza (Blakey) Ice; son, Monte (Belinda) Ice of Fort Wayne; daughter, Belinda (Dan) Flickinger of Noblesville; two grandsons; Christopher Ice of St. Paul, MN and Daniel (Mary) Flickinger of Indianapolis; two granddaughters; Susan (Seung Chul) Hong of Chicago, IL and Camille Ice of Fort Wayne; four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, 11 siblings. George was a friend and mentor to numerous persons throughout his life, providing personal assistance and compassion during times of need. He enjoyed following high school, collegiate and professional basketball games, auto racing, and raising 4-H show and registered steers for family members and fellow enthusiasts. The peak of these activities was when one of his bulls won national championship at the 1987 American Cattlemen Association judging in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended New Horizons United Methodist Church in Anderson. He was a member of United Auto Workers Local 662 and one of the 100 founding members of the U. S. Chianina Cattle Breeders Association and loved farming.
Showing will be 10 to 11 a.m. and service will be 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Home in Anderson with Rev. John Hackney officiating. Interment will be in Anderson Memorial Park Cemetery. The U.S. Navy will conduct military honors.
Post online condolences at www.rozelle-johnson.com.