George M. Dupree, 80, passed away peacefully in his home Friday, July 14, in Helena, MT.
George was born October 19, 1942, in Shorters, AL, the fifth of nine children, to Mose and Catherine Dupree. George attended schools in Shorters, Opelika, and Tuskegee in Alabama, and moved to Helena for his senior year of high school, graduating in 1961.
After high school George entered the US Navy and spent five years as a fire control systems and missile computer systems operator on the USS Berkley out of Long Beach, CA, and the USS Goldsborough out of Seattle, WA and Pearl Harbor, HI. While on the USS Goldsborough, he made visits to Australia, Japan, Philippines, and Hong Kong and spent two tours of duty in Vietnam.
George attended Montana State University, and in 1967 he married Mona Young, who he had met in high school. They had their son, Jason, while living in Bozeman, and George earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1970. After graduation, George worked for General Electric as an electrical engineer, and he and Mona lived in New York, Virginia, Salt Lake City, where their daughter, Tracy, was born, Butte and then Billings. George traveled extensively and worked on projects throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Indonesia. After nearly 30 years of working for GE, George retired, and he and Mona moved back to Helena in 1999 to be near family.
George was a dedicated and loving son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather whose first priority was always spending time with family. He was a very active youth, playing baseball, football, and basketball throughout school, and picking up golf and bowling later on. His favorite memories were of fishing and camping with family. In retirement, he learned how to create videos and restore photos, and he conducted extensive research on the genealogy of both his and Mona’s family, making him the go-to for any questions. He was an avid and proud fan of his grandkids’ activities and sports, and he was always ready to share photos and stories. When asked what they remember about Grandpa, the grandkids’ top answers were his love of spicy food, his yard, and the Seattle Mariners. He will be greatly missed.
George was preceded in death by his parents, Mose and Catherine Dupree; son, Jason Dupree; sisters Janie Smith, Libba Delaney, Mary Griffin and Christine Arello; and brothers, James and Stan Dupree.
George is survived by his wife, Mona of Helena; daughter, Tracy (Erik) Coyne of Bloomington, IN; brother, Mose “Buddy” (Marlene) Dupree, of Helena, MT; sister, Pat (Ed) Stahler of Great Falls, MT; grandchildren, McKinley (Garrett) Little of Pasadena, MD, Kenna Ryan of Shepherd, MT, Connor Coyne of Los Angeles, CA, and Annalise Coyne of Bloomington, IN; his great grandson, Roman Little; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Please join us in celebrating George’s life. His memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 25th at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, 3550 Heroes Rd, Fort Harrison, and a celebration of life held after at the Moose Lodge, 4750 N. Montana Ave in Helena.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in George’s memory to either Hospice of St. Peter’s (St. Peter’s Health Foundation, 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601; https://www.sphealth.org/foundation/make-donation) or Wild About Cats Rescue & Sanctuary (www.WildAboutCatsMontana.org).
The family would like to extend their appreciation to the team at St. Peter’s Hospice who provided lively conversation, many bright moments, and helped make George’s last days more comfortable.
Service Schedule
Burial with Military Honors
11:00 a.m.
Friday August 25, 2023
Montana State Veterans Cemetery
3550 Heroes Rd.
Fort Harrison, Montana 59636
Celebration of Life
Following the graveside
Friday August 25, 2023
Moose Lodge
4750 N Montana Ave.
Helena, Montana 59602
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Mike glueckert says
Heartfelt condolences and prayers for the family and all who were relatives and friends! So sorry!
Jo Parker says
George and Mona were our neighbors over the back fence. When our kids were young, countless balls and other items found their way over the fence and into George’s yard. He always threw the items back into our yard over and over throughout the years. He was certainly not a George Wilson. When the fence between us began to lean, George and my husband worked together to make it upright and sturdy. He was a kind man. We will miss him.