George Whitesell Kahler, Jr. of Overland Park, KS passed peacefully from his blue Lazyboy recliner into the presence of Jesus, his longtime friend, on December 1, 2020, at the age of 95. Marge, his devoted wife of 70 years was by his side. George was born in Nazareth, PA to George Whitesell and Margueritte Agnes Kahler on September 1, 1925. He graduated from Nazareth High School in 1942 and enrolled in Lehigh University to study engineering. He accepted a draft deferment offered to students studying engineering but was drafted two years later when the deferments were canceled. He served in the Navy during WWII on the USS Midway as an Electronics Technician's Mate Third Class from May 17, 1944 - May 31, 1946. After serving in the Navy, George completed his degree from Lehigh and took a job working for Western Electric where he met his wife. He took her to a Christmas Eve service at church for their first date about which he joked, "We started out right, anyway!" They married in 1950 and had two sons, Mark and Glenn. The family moved to Kansas City in 1958 when George was transferred. He retired in 1987 after working for Western Electric/AT&T for 37 years. A man of steadfast character and consistent nature, George was an elder in his beloved church, Colonial Presbyterian Church, where he and Marge have been members since 1958. He served as a Boy Scouts Troop Leader for Mark and Glenn's troops and was an avid stamp collector. His sons remember him as a steady and predictable presence, a man of routine who could be found each morning reading his Bible in his recliner. His grandchildren, who call him Pop, remember playing Crazy 8s on the footrest of his recliner, the way he'd mutter "Good stuff!" when he was enjoying a meal, that he was the best at super-gluing broken toys because of his attention to detail, his love for sports and the color blue, and his standard, but deeply sincere pre-dinner prayer: Heavenly Father, we are grateful, thankful to be gathered here today. We ask that you would bless this food to our bodies that it might nourish us so that we may know and do your will. In Christ's name, we pray, Amen. George is survived by his beloved wife Marjorie, his sons Mark (Rebecca) and Glenn (Nancy), 9 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren (plus 2 more on the way!). He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Jean Manning of Myrtle Beach, SC, and grandson Joshua Kahler. Though he was a man of few words, he was like a foundational pillar: strong, dependable, unwavering. His family is "grateful, thankful" for the long years of his foundational presence in our lives and for the joy of knowing he is with Christ Jesus, our Savior. Service The family will be celebrating George's life privately. Memorial Contributions In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the scholarship fund for Colonial Preschool. Please follow this link: https://pushpay. com/g/colonialonlinecommunity and choose "Memorial George Kahler" from the Fund drop-down menu. If you prefer, checks made out to Colonial Preschool with "George Kahler Memorial" in the memo line may be mailed to Colonial Presbyterian Church at 9500 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64114.