- Date Of Birth: December 25, 1930
- Date Of Death: August 24, 2015
- State: Illinois
George A. Ball, Jr. 84, of Galesburg, IL and Galveston, TX died at 3:45 a.m. Monday, August 24, 2015 at Unity Point Methodist Medical Center, Peoria, IL with his loving family by his side.
George was born December 25, 1930 in Detroit, MI the son of George A. and Helen (Robinson) Ball, Jr. He married Shirley K. Fowler on July 1, 1950. She preceded him in death in 2003. He married Sue Meyer on February 28, 2014 in Galveston, TX. George is survived by his wife, Sue; three daughters, Salli Blevins of Amarillo, TX, Diana (Willie) Luna of Galveston, TX, and Susan (Jim) Hall of Arlington, TX; one granddaughter, Shannon (Chris) Young; and two great grandsons, Christopher Jackson and Jonathan Merritt Young, all of Bend, OR. He is also survived by his second family, Craig (Leslie) Johnson of Dahinda and Tasi (Mike) Mackie of Williamsfield; 3 step grandsons, Drew Mackie, Jacob Johnson, and Nate Mackie; three step granddaughters, Emily (Nic) Deushane, Annie (Aaron) Henry, and Whitney (Lucas) Leckrone; two step great grandchildren, Julius Deushane and Logan Leckrone; one sister in law, Jacqueline (Russell) Galbreath, Williamsfield; and one brother in law, Wayne Ott, Dahinda. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Shirley; one son, Richard Ball; one daughter, Nancy Ball and second wife, Linda Ball.
George received his BS from Michigan State University in 1952 in Geology/Geophysics; his MS from University of Toledo in Applied Math/Physics. While attending MSU, George played baseball and football and became a lifetime member of the Varsity ‘S’ Club. George worked for Columbia Gas from 1952 until 1957. He worked for Mobil from 1957 to 1973 and again from 1984 until 1987. He worked as an independent consultant from 1973 until 1976, when he began working for The Superior Oil Company until 1984. George then worked for Burlington Resources from 1987 to 1997. He then continued with independent consulting and retired to a ranch near Brenham, TX where he enjoyed raising longhorn and black angus cattle. In 2013 George and Sue began spending their summers in Galesburg and winters in Galveston, TX.
George was an Emeritus Member of both the SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) for 50 years and the GSH (Geophysical Society of Houston) for over 30 years. He was also a member of the American Association Petroleum Geologists and the Houston Geological Society. George was a member of Soangetaha Country Club.
While working for the oil companies George traveled extensively. His peers and employees say George was a great mentor and friend and they couldn’t have asked to work with a better person. George will be remembered as a kind, gentle and loving person. In his free time George enjoyed playing golf, swimming and spending time with family and friends.
