Barbara George (1941-2024)

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Sylvia and George Laikin, Barbara George majored in history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earned a M.S.W. from Simmons School of Social Work, and graduated with a J.D. from California Western School of Law. She lived in San Diego from 1974 to her passing.

Those details of her life, however, don’t fully capture her dynamic energy, her sharp sense of humor, her passion for animals and especially her dogs, her deep empathy for others, her love of conversation, her strong political engagement, her thirst for new experiences, and her sense of adventure. In her late forties she shifted from her focus as a stay-at-home mom to selling Cadillacs and Hyundais. In her fifties she went back to school, studying law with peers half her age, and became a family attorney. In her seventies she tried sky diving for the first time, repeatedly zip-lined, and traveled with her older grandchildren on international adventures to Paris, the Galapagos, and South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana. She had an incredibly active social life and lots of friends, and she actively volunteered throughout her life for schools, women’s organizations, and more.

Barbara is survived by her long-term close friend, Robert Avila; her daughters, Susan Funkenstein (Paul) and Laura Lyke-Benavides (Garet); and her four grandchildren, Sally, Jacob, Cammie, and Ezra. She will be missed dearly.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations, in memory of Barbara George, to Planned Parenthood: www.plannedparenthood.org