George F. Tekker, Jr., 92, of Mishawaka, passed away at 10:10 am, Sunday, August 2, 2009 in Miller''s Merry Manor of Wakarusa, where he had resided since late 2006.
George was born on October 28, 1916 in South Bend to George F. and Martha (Hammond) Tekker, Sr. He attended Kennedy School and Mishawaka High School. He married Dorothy Farrell of South Bend on August 12, 1937. During the war, he worked in a shipyard in San Diego, CA and also did some commercial fishing. He and Dorothy worked side-by-side for many years operating a grocery store/gas station at the corner of Jefferson and Currant roads in Mishawaka. After that, they ran a catering business and later he worked for Ultrafab of Elkhart delivering products.
George loved to play cards, golf, and fish; and was a Classic league bowler well into his 80''s. He enjoyed talking to people, but after his hearing became a problem, he just greeted people with a smile. His friends and family will miss him dearly.
George is survived by two sons, Larry (Kay) Tekker of Loudon, TN and Thomas (Wanda) Tekker of Mishawaka; eight grandchildren, Brett (Melanie) Tekker of Waxhaw, NC, Matthew Tekker of Kotzebue, AK, Drinda (Bill) Bokhart, Tommy Tekker, Mike (Geni) Dial, Jeff (Lisa) Dial, Denise (Marc) Merrill and Renee Kitts, all of Mishawaka, 17 great grandchildren and 9 great great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Betty Jackson of Elkhart.
Visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 pm, Tuesday, August 4, 2009 in Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 10776 McKinley Highway, Osceola. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 am, Wednesday, August 5, 2009 in the funeral home with burial to follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Osceola.
The family would like to thank the staff at Miller''s Merry Manor for all the love and care given to George during his stay there.
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