George Pollom Scharf

Dec. 16, 1919-Dec. 12, 2019

Posted

George Pollom Scharf, 99, of Crawfordsville, formerly of Urbana and Fisher, Illinois, passed away Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at Franciscan Health Lafayette East.

He was born Dec. 16, 1919, at Crawfordsville, and was only three days from his 100th birthday. His parents were the late Harvey T. Scharf and Ada Belle Pollom Scharf.

He was a member of the C.H.S class of 1938. That fall he entered Wabash College, where he a member of Phi Delta Theta. On Jan. 17, 1941 he was inducted into the U.S. Armed Forces 38th Division.

After leaving the military service he finished his education at Wabash College. On Dec. 31, 1946, he married Betty Jane Colvin. He obtained a master’s degree at the University of Illinois and while working on a Ph.D. taught there. In June of 1952 he accepted a civil service position teaching electrical and electronic control systems at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. Leaving civil service in 1959 the family moved to Inglewood, California, where George went to work for Space Technology Laboratories and then the Aerospace Corporation where he was a training advisor for the Ballistic Missile Division of the Strategic Air Command. He returned to civil service at Chanute in May of 1961 as a training advisor and later worked in training research until joining the Technical School Training Operations Branch.

On Dec. 27, 1968, George married Ruth Elnora Kitts Ray. In 1994, George and wife, Ruth returned to Crawfordsville from their home in Fisher, Illinois. His wife, Ruth, died April 8, 2006.

On July 8, 2010, George married Dancy Lynn Cale Linn, who survives. Also surviving are a daughter by his first wife, Georgeanne Scharf of Champaign, Illinois; step-son Gregory Linn; granddaughters, Stephanie (Bogdan) Cuceu of Richland, Washington; Abigail (Craig) DiGregorio of Los Angeles, California; Sarah (Hem) Wadhar of San Francisco, California; Rebecca (Arik) Bergin of Los Angeles, California; nine great-grandchildren; and his two kitties, Sami Jo and Pepper Louise.

He was preceded in death by parents and daughter Stephanie Scharf of Mishawaka; and sisters, Mae Clymer of Carmel, California; Gretchen Soth of San Diego, California; and Amy Parks of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

George was a member of the American Legion, the VFW, the Montgomery County Historical Society, the Genealogical Society of Montgomery County, the Ben Hur Car Club, the Buick Club of America, the Walter P. Chrysler Club and the Illini Collector Car Club.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 until the time of the celebration of life service at 2 p.m. at Sanders Priebe Funeral Care, 315 S. Washington St., Crawfordsville. Dr. David Taber will officiate. Military honors conducted by the National Guard and Legion Post #72 Honor Guard will begin the service. Interment will follow at Oak Hill North Mausoleum.

The family request in lieu of flowers, a memorial donation in honor of George be made to the American Cancer Society.

Share memories and condolences online at www.sandersfuneralcare.com.


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