George M. Hemminger

On November 12 George started his last adventure...perhaps the greatest one of all. He passed away at his home in southwest Reno.

George was born in Pasadena, CA, on December 4, 1934 to parents, George C. and Mary Elizabeth Hemminger. They were a corporate family and moved many times, finally settling in Reno where George attended B.D. Billinghurst school. He loved fishing in the Truckee and attending UNR basketball games. He went on to attend Menlo School in Menlo Park, CA which was then an all boys' boarding school. Stanford University then welcomed him and he graduated with a B.A. in 1957. During summers home from Stanford in Reno, he learned to fly and that began a life long love of anything to do with aviation. He accepted an Air Force commission after completing ROTC at Stanford and entered flight school.

Even though he loved the Air Force, the military was not to be for him since he had energy to spare and loved building businesses.

He joined the commercial aviation world first working for Western Airlines and then Continental Airlines where he accumulated 32,000 accident free miles in the air before retiring. During this time he lived in Manhattan Beach, CA and flow within the US for a time, Guam and the Sough Pacific. George flew multiple aircraft: DC-3, DC-6, B727, B720, DC-9, MD-80 and he retired on the 747-200, his favorite. On his final flight, a return from Frankfurt to Newark, he thrilled his passengers by flying a low pass around the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty and made his last landing perfectly. 

Most of all through was his love of making a profit on his businesses. He planted a grove of avocado trees in San Diego County and it thrived for the next twenty five years.

It was during this time that he met Mary Giddings while both were living in Incline Village. They were married in 1985 and remained together for the rest of his life. Mary brought her two sons into the marriage and George welcomed them as his own.

His next endeavor was a fishing business in Alaska. He had the PV Lady Mary built and after purchasing a commercial fishing license, he ran it during summers in Bristol Bay, AK for the next twenty years.

Also during this time he was building South Reno Self Storage on Virginia Street in Reno.

After retiring from Continental in 1994, he and Mary divided their time between Incline Village and Arizona. Finding he had too much time on his hands, George purchased and historic ranch in far south Arizona. He named the ranch Rancho San Cayetano and built it into a premier horse boarding operations, eventually boarding over ninety horses. He and Mary operated it as a team for the next ten years. Also during the ranch years, he belonged to the Flying Samaritans organization out of Phoenix and flew medical personnel to southern Baja on weekend a month for eight years in his twin-engine Beechcraft. When his age became a factor, he sold the ranch after ten years and he and Mary returned to Reno for his final years.

He was a member of the Stanford Founding Grant Society, a sustainer of the Hoover Institution, member of the Golden Eagles of Continental Airlines, Quiet Birdmen Reno Hanger, Retired United Pilots Assn, and Mongongeuros Club of Reno.

He will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and stepson, Andrew Giddings, and many, many friends in nearby and distance places.

He leaves behind wonderful memories for all and a garage full of tools and vehicles left over from his many projects.

Special thanks are extended to Summit View Hospice and Seniors Helping Seniors.

A graveside service and Military Honors is planned on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 11:00 am at the family lot in Center Grove Cemetery in Kirkwood, Illinois. No visitation or calling hours are currently being planned by his family. 

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