George was born in Chester, South Carolina, on July 10, 1949. He received a B.S. degree from Clemson University in 1971 and an M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University in 1974. His entire business career was spent in Tampa, initially with First National Bank and then with Northern Trust, from which he retired in 2015. His life included many contributions to the community such as serving as chairman of the University of Tampa’s Board of Counselors and a member of its Board of Trustees. He also served on the board of directors of the H. B. Plant Museum, the Child Abuse Council, the Estate Planning Council and Palma Ceia Country Club. He was also an active volunteer at Ronald McDonald House and a Sunday school facilitator and usher at Hyde Park United Methodist Church.
George’s friends include scores of people of varied ages, locations and backgrounds, who can each tell a good story about their times together. His wife of 45 years, Susan Lytle Gage, said that George thought he was related to almost everyone he met and usually could credibly tell you why. Among his favorite pastimes were hiking, working on his still-to-be perfected piano version of Clair de Lune, playing golf and swimming laps, traveling to places previously unseen and practicing his impressive culinary skills, particularly if it involved making a complex dessert that left him ample time to test it himself. He loved being with his wife, his two daughters, Elizabeth Gage Lee of Tampa and Katherine Gage Delman of Daniel Island, South Carolina, their husbands Ryan Lee and Ryan Delman, and his five grandchildren, Jackson, Parker and Maggie Lee and Carter and Bennett Delman.
George was preceded in death by his father, George Williams Gage, Jr., and his mother, Nina Cochran Gage. He is survived by his sister Ruth Gage Bragg and her husband, Garry, of Jacksonville, his sister Jane Gage Furtado and her husband, Don, of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and his brother Benjamin Cochran Gage of Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as numerous relatives and friends.
A celebration of George’s life will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, January 15, at Hyde Park United Methodist Church, 500 West Platt Street, Tampa. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in George’s memory to High Risk Hope, 1702 North Avenida Republica de Cuba, Tampa, Florida, 33605, or to the charity of your choice.
