George Clayton Cheeseman
January 21st, 1940 - July 22nd, 2024
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George's Obituary
After graduating from LaSalle High School in 1958 and advancing quickly through four years in the Navy, George married Diane Lynne Ellis in 1963 and began his four-decade career in nuclear power, mostly at the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert, Michigan. He appreciated staying in touch with Navy and work friends and found it remarkable that his career came to include travel to Siberia and Japan through the World Association of Nuclear Operators.
Growing up hunting and fishing in the woods of the U.P. alongside the Great Lakes led to a life-long love of the outdoors and cherished memories there with family and friends. George made sure his daughters understood environmental stewardship, introducing them to camping and fishing early on, and he also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and participating in field trials with Lucy, the last of a series of beloved black labradors. George made several trips to Alaska (each the “Trip of a Lifetime”) and sought to see as many waterfalls in the U.P. as possible in his later years.
Much of George’s time was dedicated to supporting his family, spending many days with Lynne at summer art fairs in Chicago and throughout Southwest Michigan, and many other days at band and choir events and swim meets with his daughters. He liked meeting new people and connecting with them throughout his life. George felt especially lucky to have welcomed a third daughter, Claudia Arnz Scharfenberg, to his family when she was a foreign exchange student in South Haven and to meet her parents in Germany and children in Michigan when they visited this fall.
In addition to traveling with Lynne to places near and far, George enjoyed being a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus for eight years and community engagement that included service with the South Haven Memorial Library Board and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and volunteer roles at his church and Stepping Stones. He was also a Mason through the South Haven’s Star of the Lake Lodge.
George is survived by his wife, Lynne, daughters Marcy Cheeseman (Michael Nelson) and Andrea Cheeseman (Bryan Reese), sister-in-law, Marcia (Jack) Fry, and nieces Alison Senkevitch and Lauren Fry and their families. He will be remembered with love.
Services will be held at First United Methodist Church in South Haven, 429 Michigan Ave, South Haven, MI 49090, Thursday, August 1 with visitation at 1 p.m., service at 2 p.m. Interment will be at Gros Cap Cemetery in St. Ignace, Michigan.
Any memorials in George’s name may be directed to the South Haven Memorial Library, 314 Broadway St, South Haven, MI 49090. Please add in the memo line: In Memory of George Cheeseman. Arrangements are entrusted to Filbrandt Chapel-Starks Family Funeral Homes and Cremation Services. 269-637-0333.
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Service Details
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Service
When
August 1st, 2024 2:00pm
Where
First United Methodist Church - South Haven
Address
429 Michigan Ave
South Haven , Michigan 49090