George Jerome Van Essen’s life was, above all, a family story. Born in Mason City in 1929, he came from Midwestern roots that valued steadiness, faith, humor, and resilience. Those values stayed with him throughout his life, guiding his choices, the way he treated others, and the love he poured into his family.
When George married Marcele “Marcie” Willey in 1952, they began a partnership that would anchor the family for generations. He is survived by four of five children, Michael, Marcia, Corinne, Joseph and his wife, Terry, all of whom have weathered joys and heartbreaks, celebrated milestones, and built a household where laughter, caring, and strength live side by side. Even in loss, including the death of their son Edward in 1997, George’s enduring steadiness held his family close.
He was the kind of man whose presence mattered—sometimes quiet, often steady, always dependable. His grandchildren, Brian Bowman and his wife, Robyn and their children Wyatt and Kiera, David and Adriana Corona, Sevan Sullivan, his wife Mandolyn and their children Sterling and Sparrow, Brooke Van Essen and Keith Strmiska, and their children, Ollie and Emma carry forward his warmth, his sense of belonging, and the foundation of support, protection and goodness that he helped create. In every gathering, every story retold, and every new child welcomed into the family, George remains a living legacy.
His life will be remembered not only for its length, but also for its love.
Family and friends are invited to visiting hours to be held on Wednesday afternoon January 7, 2026 from 2 to 5pm in the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, 757 E. Main Street, Ventura. Graveside Funeral Services will be held at 1pm on Thursday afternoon January 8, 2026 at the Ivy Lawn Cemetery, Ventura.