The Weight Family

The world has one less hero today. My grandpa passed away last night in his home, surrounded by family.

For those of you who never knew him, I’m sorry. You missed out on one of the reasons this earth was created. They don’t make men like George Dearing anymore. Tom Brokaw called his generation, “The Greatest Generation” and I say that George was one of the greatest of the greatest generation.

George was born on 2/22/1922. How’s that for unique? He was raised in a poor family and lived through the Great Depression. The blessings that came from his underprivileged childhood were unsurpassed. He had a keen mind for how things worked. He could look at a thing and understand its functions and clearly see how a broken thing could be fixed. This talent applied to anything mechanical, electric, or even biological (later in his life he would earn awards for the exceptional English walnuts his trees produced). 

He grew up right next to the train tracks and throughout his youth George would jump the trains passing through Springville, UT to get to school or to work. He learned to work at a young age and was employed most of his childhood – choosing to help provide for his family on many occasions rather than spend time in school. He worked as a sheepherder during his adolescence and gained a great understanding and appreciation for nature. 

As a young man, George was called to war. He was taken to the Mojave Desert for training and was chosen to head up a crew running an anti-aircraft gun. He was deployed to the South Pacific and served on a small island called Morotai. He landed two days after the Marines had taken it from the Japanese. His crew shot down Japanese planes as they approached neighboring islands for fuel or to bomb US strongholds in the area. He was proud of his military service and considered it an honor to serve his country. Not too many years ago, I got to witness him being honored in a local ceremony for his World War II service. He was dressed to the nines in his military uniform and I cried like a baby as he stood before the crowd and saluted. 

When he returned home he met my grandmother and married her. While this might not sound unique, consider the fact that my grandmother had a child (my mother) from a previous marriage, so him marrying a single mother in that day and age may have been seen as taboo by many. To George it didn’t matter, he loved my grandma and my mother and fulfilled the role as an honorable father better than any man that ever claimed the title.

eorge raised an honorable family – three daughters and a son. He taught them how to work, how to honor their commitments and how to love others. He was a faithful breadwinner and provided for his family by living providently. He took a job with the telephone company and did the tough job of repairing the power lines in the mountains. He did good and honest work, paid off his debts quickly and saved and invested. His home mortgage was paid off in 7 years. He invested in utilities stocks and retired after a full career. His investments paid off throughout his life – providing a comfortable living for him and grandma in their later years.

Each of grandpa’s children married in the temple, served in church and youth organizations, and raised honorable children themselves. Every one of his grandsons (that were of age) has served an honorable full-time mission.

As a grandpa, George was perfect. He always enjoyed each of his grandkids, making each of us feel loved and special. He played with us, worked with us, taught us and provided us with an example to follow. I have hundreds and hundreds of stories of him influencing my life. He taught me how to work. Here’s a small sampling of the things I learned from grandpa; re-roof a house, cut down trees for firewood, stack firewood, hang drywall, build a fire in a fireplace, irrigate a garden, weed a garden, dig potatoes, store produce, do telephone wiring, serve as a missionary, prune a tree, build a doghouse, replace a kitchen sink, stop a leaky faucet, mow a lawn, enjoy a BYU football game, enjoy the outdoors, tie knots – all sorts of them, grind metal, fertilize a lawn, spray fruit trees, till a garden, laugh, cry out of happiness…I could go on and on.

As I became an adult I learned to cherish my time with Grandpa to an extent I hadn’t in my youth. I loved asking him about his youth, the war, how to do this or that and what his feelings were about some Gospel subject or another. Grandpa always had an answer for me. He was interested in my career, my investments and how I treated my wife and daughters. 

For a few years we had the honor of living in the house behind theirs. Grandpa always looked out for us. He treated my children with the same honor, love and enthusiasm as he did me. My daughters loved him – never having any fear or trepidation about giving him a hug or sitting on his lap. Often, Megan (our second daughter) would sneak away from the house only to appear at grandmas ready to play. We regularly got calls letting us know that our girls were over at grandmas being treated to cookies and milk.
Grandpa has always made it a point to share his testimony, his understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had many experiences where his life was clearly spared so that he could continue to influence those around him. He shared these experiences with boldness and humility. He always gave credit to the Lord for the blessings he enjoyed.

On Sunday, when I heard that he had fallen ill, I had the clear, distinct impression that I needed to take my family to visit grandpa. We arrived at about 8pm on Monday evening. Grandpa was confined to a hospital bed in his room. He struggled for air and fought for each breath. Yet, even though he was suffering so much pain, when I arrived in the room with my daughters, he acknowledged us and showed his love for us. He told Annie that she was getting so tall. He told Grace that her hair was so long and beautiful. He congratulated Meg about her upcoming baptism. Each of the girls was able to tell them they loved him. I was able to tell him that he was a great man. That I loved him and wanted him to be out of pain soon. He spent his last few moments typifying his life…one given in serving and genuinely loving others. When we were finished I was prompted to quickly leave, knowing that he would soon pass. We left at 8:45.

At 8:50pm he passed. He was attended to at the time of his passing by a loving wife, a granddaughter and a grandson. He passed directly from their arms into the arms of his mother, father, siblings and son who were there to welcome him through the veil of death. It is completely clear and undeniable to me that God loved this man so much, that he wanted him surrounded in love as he passed on, and he was.

When I returned later that night to be with family, I marveled at the miracle of his life. I saw his body, spent and finished and imagined his spirit strong, clothed in white and smiling his vibrant smile, ready to move forward with the work. I am amazed and honored to have been associated with one who had lived such a complete and stalwart life. I am humbled to think that I was taught at the feet of such a man, such a hero.

And so I say, the sun rose this morning on a world with one less hero, one less example of how men should live their lives. But with this sunrise came a reminder to all who knew George Dearing of what we should strive to become in this life; humble, honorable, hard-working, loving, tender and kind. 

Written by Mitch Weight