The Reverend George William Day, 87, loving husband of Jean Grover Day, passed away on May 24, 2017 following a brief illness.
A memorial service will be held at 2:30 PM on Sunday, May 28, 2017 at Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church with Dr. Matt Rich officiating. The family will receive friends at the church following the memorial service.
Rev. Day was born August 1, 1929 to George Edmond Day and Winona Weinacht Day in Philadelphia, PA. where he spent his youth. Rev. Day always maintained that his greatest gift was the sense of humor he inherited from his father. He was proceeded in death by his parents, wife of 43 years Helen Mary Crose Day and grandson Jacob Day (18). Survivors include two sons, Kevin Day, Edinboro, PA and Jeffery (Leslie) Day, Twin Falls, ID, and daughter, Denise Day (Robert) Turner, Prescott Valley, AZ. He is survived by 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
George exhibited a strong work ethic at an early age. By 10, he worked various jobs including newspaper delivery and door to door sales of magazines, seeds, flowers and fresh vegetables. As a teen during WWII he collected and sold scrap material and worked for a grocer. George applied and was accepted to Central High School where he pursued gymnastics, track, and cross-country racing, coming in 4th in the 1946 city of Philadelphia Cross Country Match. Upon graduation from high school, George worked for a year to finance his attendance at Maryville College in Maryville, TN. He graduated in 1952 with a BS in Biology.
In 1953, he enrolled in San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian). During this time, he married Helen Mary Crose and his first son was born. One of George’s first posts was as a Protestant pastor for English speaking residents of Medellin, Colombia in South America. During this time, the family welcomed a daughter and a son.
Expanding his ministry, George traveled to different regions of Colombia to hold interdenominational services, also taught conversational English for the U.S. Government cultural program. He served as a representative of the Billy Graham Crusade in Panama. After 3½ years in Colombia the family returned to the U.S. to a church in Oakridge, TN. Over the years, he pastored churches in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Portland, Oregon. In 1976, George was called to join the Synod of the Pacific in Sacramento, CA. He served as a consultant for missions, stewardship, evangelism and mass media. He organized and directed 20 tours of missions of the church. He visited countries such as Japan, Philippines, Israel, and China under communists with 96 people. One memorable mission trip involved the Heifer Project where he delivered a planeload of bees to Guatemala. The bees made a short wait to get through customs.
Music was a large part of his life. He sang in choirs from boyhood, directed 5 community chorales, and had a special love for barbershop choruses. While still in seminary he started a 3M ministry- music, magic and message. This ministry was directed originally to the youth and used for 25 years. He always concluded with there are no tricks to the gospel. He learned magic from a college roommate and seminary professor.
During the 60’s and 70’s he was part of the 50 million Fund in Erie, PA and organized 2 highly successful World Mission Fairs in Stockton, CA. After 54 years of ministry George took training to become an Interim Pastor for churches that had lost their pastor. He did 8 pastorals in California, Washington State, South Dakota, Indiana, and Michigan.
Rev. Day retired in 1996. He and Helen moved to Greenwood, SC near her two sisters in Leesville-Batesburg, SC. He continued as an interim in Columbia, SC at Westminster Presbyterian. In 1997, his wife Helen died during Memorial Day weekend. In August, through his interim at Central Presbyterian in Anderson, SC he met his future wife, Jean who also had been married 43 years. They were married on January 1, 1998. After, the interim he and Jean moved to a home on the lake in Greenwood, living there joyfully for 16 years. During this time, George had interims in Newberry and Abbeville and pulpit supply with many churches in the area. George and Jean led an exciting life traveling to many countries, Khartoum Sudan for the Presbytery, mission trips to China, India, Rotary trips to South Africa, Rotary International in Barcelona, Spain, Chicago trips to Peru, St. Martin cruises to Alaska, Hawaii and Canada and rotary sailboat cruise from Barcelona, Spain to Lisbon Portugal.
Rotary was a very important part of his life, having spent some 45 years as a Rotarian, being a member of 10 clubs, PE one club, RYLA speaker, newsletter editor 2 clubs, chaired wheelchair foundation, song leader, Paul Harris (3), chaired major fund raising, $50, 000 annually for a club. Hobbies were a fun part of his life, building a sailboat, canoes, a log cabin in PA; needlepoint of which he was a master; photography and serpentine walls. Sixteen walls were built at the Greenwood home to hold Jean’s beautiful plantings, the daylight basement was finished with his son and son-in-law.
In 2014, George and Jean moved to Evans, GA where many of Jean’s family lives. George enjoyed almost 3 years of real retirement. His life had many interesting and often amusing stories and his wonderful sense of humor was strong to the end.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Martinez-Evans Rotary Club, P.O. Box 204145 Martinez, GA 30907 or the Thornwell Home for Children, 302 South Broad St., Clinton, SC 29325.