Longtime Pittsburg resident George Pitzer passed away on March 28, 2022 in Portland, Oregon after struggling to recover from a fall that resulted in a broken hip and ribs. He is survived by his three sons, Grant, Jeff and Mark, and eight grandchildren. His wife of 60 years, Billie Raye Pitzer, passed away last year on April 5.
Mr. Pitzer was born in western Oklahoma in 1935 but grew up on a small farm north of Hepler, Kansas, where his family relocated when he was very young after losing their Oklahoma farm in the dustbowl of the 1930s.
He majored in chemistry at Kansas State Teacher's College (today Pittsburg State), graduating in 1958. He married Billie Raye Webster in 1960. In 1969, Mr. Pitzer formed an athletic flooring company called Professional Products, and over the years installed urethane gym floors and running tracks all across the country, including at the premier track program in the world at the University of Oregon.
He devoted a significant amount of his time and resources to charity, contributing to Elm Acres, the Wesley House, the Methodist Church and the YMCA, among others. He was asked to serve on the boards of Mt. Carmel Hospital, City National Bank and the Pittsburg State Alumni Association.
He served for 12 years in the Army Reserves, achieving the rank of captain. In addition to his flooring company, he built up a successful cattle operation which he managed, often on horseback, well into his 70s.
He was a wonderful father, husband and friend. He was grateful to have been able to fulfill his final mission in life, which was to care for his wife Billie as she sadly succumbed to dementia. He will be missed, and long remembered, by all who knew him. He was buried next to his beloved wife in a small family service in Portland, Oregon.
