Ira “George” Pool of McCall, Idaho passed away on June 13th at the age of eighty-five. Funeral services will be held at the McCall Community Church on Saturday, June 22nd at 2:00 pm with a Celebration of Life immediately following.

   George was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota on June 29, 1938. He grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota where he attended Central High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from Southern Methodist University and a Masters Business Associate’s degree from Stanford University. He also served in the US Army. George married Linda Louise Hardin on June 21, 1964. They were married 60 years and raised four children.

   George worked in the fields of both international finance and transportation. Many of his jobs required him to travel extensively. Shortly after getting married, he started his work with Pan Am in New York City and later worked with American Airlines. In 1975, he moved his family to Boise, Idaho to work for Morrison- Knudsen as an Assistant Treasurer and Director of Project Financing. In 1989, he started working for Lockheed Corporation in Thousand Oaks, California and later moved to Reston, Virginia when the company merged with Martin Marrietta. He moved to McCall permanently when he retired in September of 2003.

   George was a family man whose hobbies included duck hunting, coaching, and refereeing soccer, fishing, and collecting stamps, foreign money and coins. Thanks to his father, the former VP of the Great Northern Railway, George spent a great deal of time working on and around trains when he was growing up. This cultivated a lifelong love of trains and George delighted in building layouts and operating O gauge Lionel Trains.

   In retirement, George and his wife Linda, a retired teacher, were instrumental in 2007 the founding of the non-profit organization known as PLCA 4 Kids, an afterschool program for the McCall Donnelly School District. Additionally, he was an active member of the McCall Rotary, President, and spokesperson for the McCall Senior Center for multiple years.

   George is survived by his wife Linda, his four children Geoffrey Pool, Kimberly Hamilton, Kristina Dahms, and Kara Packer, and six grandchildren ranging in age from twenty-four to nine … Trevor Hamilton, Tyler Dahms, Spencer Hamilton, Ben Packer, Josh Packer, and Maya Dahms.

   George was preceded in death by his father Ira G. Pool, his mother Emma Carleton, and his three sisters Patricia Rogers, Jacquelyn Welch, and Ileane Machyowsky. 

   In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to PLCA4 Kids, McCall Senior Community Center, McCall Rotary, American Cancer Society, and Alzheimer’s Association. The family wants to thank McCall St. Lukes Hospice, In-Home Care of McCall, McCall Funeral Home, Pastor Bryan Johnston and all our friends and family for their loving support.

   Online condolences may be left at www.mccallfunerals.com

   Arrangements in care of McCall Funeral Home.