Georg Johannes Kretzschmar passed away peacefully at the Mt Angel Towers on April 1st at the age of 89.

Georg was born on August 18, 1936, in the small German village of Beilrode. He was the only child born to Arno and Ida Kretzschmar who ran the village gasthaus. Georg's job as a young boy in the gasthaus was to pour the vodka left in the glasses of the Russian soldiers back into the bottles to be sold again the next night. As a child he watched the bright skies of Dresden burning, had an unexploded bomb land inside his home, and played war with neighborhood children on a damaged Russian tank in their back yard.

At 15 years old he left Communist East Germany and entered a refugee camp where he began his journey to the United States. During this journey he briefly worked in a coal mine, apprenticed as a waiter, and worked as a merchant marine. He crossed the ocean to Quebec, Canada where he worked in room service at the Ritz Carlton where he learned that 'french toast' was not toasted french bread! In the late 1950s Georg came to the United States and joined the army where he learned his trade as an optician. He became a United States citizen and after the army moved to Salem, Oregon where he started his lifelong career as an optician. He had a love for nature and joined the Chemeketans hiking group where he met his future wife, Joyce Gould. They spent many years exploring the outdoors together, which included climbing several mountains. Georg and Joyce settled outside of Silverton, Oregon. They had a son, Johann, and daughters, Heidi and Monika. They shared their love of the outdoors with their children and grandchildren by camping, hiking, fishing, and sightseeing. When they retired, they traveled in an RV throughout the United States and Canada. Their favorite destination was the long drive through Canada to Alaska. When they were not in their RV, they were taking cruises around the world and saw sights such as the pyramids of Egypt and the canals of Venice. After the death of Joyce in 2018, Georg moved to the Mount Angel Towers retirement community. He enjoyed making new friends and learning their life stories. "So many amazing and interesting people here." He became part of this community and thrived. His children remember him being reserved and quiet, but the Towers brought out a side of Georg they didn't see. He truly loved it there.

Preceded in death by his beloved wife, Joyce Kretzschmar (Gould), in 2018.

He is survived by his son, Johann, and daughters, Heidi and Monika, and his grandchildren: Madeline, Masa, Mika, Page, and Cameron.

Celebration of Life • May 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM • Mt. Angel Towers

He is loved and will be greatly missed.