George Charles Maurer, of Somerset, Wisc., born April 30, 1933, in Alexandria, Louisiana, passed away on July 6, 2026, in Hudson, Wisconsin, surrounded by his loving wife, Janice, and their four children.
George grew up in South Florida, graduating from Miami High School in 1951 before earning a bachelor’s degree in English from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1955. He proudly served in the United States Air Force for six years. It was during his military service that he met Janice, a United Airlines flight attendant, at the Officers’ Club in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They married in 1965 and together raised four children—George, Patrick, Michele, and Laura—while making their homes in Apple Valley, Minnesota; Warren, Pennsylvania; and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
A true jack of all trades, George’s resourcefulness, ingenuity, and quiet sense of humor were evident to everyone who knew him. At the age of 70, he built Janice a beautiful home on five wooded acres in Somerset, Wisconsin. That home became the setting for countless family gatherings and treasured memories, filled with laughter, love, and time shared with their children, four grandchildren, and extended family.
Gardening was one of George’s greatest passions. His happiest hours were spent among his garden beds, fruit trees, and grapevines, patiently tending the plants that provided both beauty and abundance—including the grapes that eventually became his homemade wine. Each spring, as the maple trees surrounding their home awakened from winter, he tapped them for sap and transformed them into maple syrup. In the fall, he and his son George searched for fallen trees, cutting and stacking firewood that would keep the family warm throughout the Wisconsin winters.
George’s hands were rarely still. If something needed to be built, repaired, or improved, he would find a way to do it. Whether working with wood, tending the land, restoring his beloved 1950s pickup truck, or creating something from almost nothing, he poured his talents into making life better for those around him.
George will be remembered for his kindness, creativity, unwavering work ethic, and the twinkle that always seemed to shine in his eyes. Though his hands are now at rest, the love he built, the lessons he taught, and the memories he created will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
A visitation will be held on Monday, July 20, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Afton, Minnesota, followed by a memorial service from 11:00 a.m. to noon.