George Lucian Hailey

100 yoa (1921 – 2022)

The last in our family of the greatest generation, a great and good man, George Hailey passed away peacefully April 1, 2022. He leaves behind two sons: Mike Hailey and wife Rhonda, Phil Hailey and wife Shelia, 6 Grandchildren, Chris Hailey and wife Sarah, Erika Jones and husband Ryan, Cody Craig and wife Amanda, Sterling Escobar and husband Richard, Jason Poteete and wife Kristina, and Crystal Teeters. His legacy also includes 10 Great Grandchildren who will all remember him as a kind and gentle man, quick to laugh, slow to anger and an unsurpassed knowledge of “all the old sayings”.

It is difficult to tell his story without retelling that of his beloved wife Nell, with which he grew up alongside, in Chico, TX. To hear him tell it, she was just a snotty nosed kid until he returned from WWII, and she had turned into a “real peach”. They enjoyed 75 years of marriage until her death just one year ago. Together they raised three children and retired in the same little house that they loved and cared for in Haltom City.

As a young man, George grew up working on his father’s farm, and playing baseball (whenever allowed.) Baseball became his love and he later served in the Optimist Club coaching Little League. He served in the Seabees branch of the US Navy during WWII, where his service took him to Guam and the Lucian Islands. In the late 70’s, he and Nell opened a Western Auto franchise in Keller, TX and ran the business together until 2001. His customers knew him to be quite talkative; and he would often follow them to the car ‘still talking’, at which point Nell would come out and chase him back in. As a young man, he had dreamed of being a cowboy; but the closest he ever got was breaking some wild horses on the farm and meeting country western singer, Hank Thompson, when he came into the store.

After they lost their daughter, Toni to breast cancer; George and Nell sold the store and retired to do whatever Nell demanded in their beautiful back yard. She kept him busy gardening and if nothing else... moving pavestone from one bed to another. They would play 42 all hours, and if you came to their house on Sunday... you did too.

Although he lost enthusiasm for many things after Nell was gone, he was determined to hit his 100th birthday, and was very proud when he did.

His legacy was hard work, honest living, keeping his wife happy and telling his favorite ‘family -friendly’ jokes.