Obituary of George Cripps

George Cripps AGE: 95 • George Cripps, the only child of Josephine and Charles Ruddy, passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family on August 6, 2016. He was 95 years young. George was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years Virginia (Ginny) Cripps and his daughter Susan Cripps Morton. He is survived by his three children Christine Barger, Jon Cripps and Jenny Lemke-Thompson; five grandchildren Ryan and Steven Barger, Katie Morton, Melody and Brady Lemke; and great grandchild Makana Barger. George attended the University of Wisconsin and received his degree in Chemistry in 1946. He began his career at Merck Research Laboratories, moved on to Climax Molybdenum and then to Atlas Chemical. George retired from AstraZeneca (formerly ICI Inc.) in 1979. George retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Major after the Korean War. He served in both WWII and Korea as a Marine Corps aviator. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroic actions in Korea where he was credited with insuring the safety of two destroyers and saving lives. George was a long term member of Spray Beach Yacht Club on Long Beach Island. He served as Commodore in 1976 and remained an avid participant in the senior sunfish racing group until his 93 year. He enjoyed sailing and racing his sunfish, traveling the world and visiting his children and grandchildren in Hawaii and Colorado. A celebration of George's life will be held at the Spray Beach Yacht Club in late October with a reception to follow. Donations may be made to the Marines' Memorial Association Scholarship Fund at www.marineclub.com. The members of the family would like to thank the staff at Southern Ocean Medical Center Transitional Care Unit for their loving care.