George B. Bower, 90, passed away at Franklin Health & Rehabilitation in Rocky Mount, Virginia on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. George was born the second youngest of four children to Earl and Zita Bower on April 16, 1934 in Kingston, Pennsylvania.  He spent his childhood years in Pennsylvania, two years at Fort Knox in Kentucky when he was in the Army, some time in Wilmington, Delaware, and then while working in Washington, D.C., he met Maria “Tini” (Philippi) at a church-sponsored young adult club and within just three weeks, before Tini had to return home to Holland, they were engaged.  They married on October 22, 1963 in Valkenburg (the Netherlands). Tini and George started their marriage in a small apartment in Chevy Chase, MD.  In 1966 they moved into a home in Sterling, VA where they raised their daughters.  A job change for George took them to Maryville, TN in 1990 and then in 2000 they moved to their final location of Moneta to be closer to their adult children and grandchildren.  They were married for 59 years until Tini’s death in December 2022.  He was so devoted to his wife and her family that he did whatever was needed to ensure that Tini could visit her family in Holland about every two years. All throughout his life, George was a devout Catholic, even attending seminary before determining that God had other plans for him.  Even with three children of their own, he and Tini became foster parents in 1976 and spent 14 years caring for an incredibly diverse group of children, from two-week old infants to a 17-year-old girl.  When he and Tini lived in Tennessee, he visited residents at nursing homes that had no one else to spend time with them.  Later in life, they were very involved with church life at Resurrection as well as volunteering at Lake Christian Ministries in the food pantry.  He also helped call Bingo at Runk and Pratt.  George’s life is so hard to reduce to just a few paragraphs.  He will be remembered for his wonderful smile, his sense of humor, his love of music of all types, laid back attitude, making lots of lists, a sweet tooth, and his love for getting his family (both immediate and extended) together.  He planned almost every reunion for his side of the family and spent countless hours writing and sharing chronicles of his life, including organizing lots of photos into albums and flash drives for his daughters. He loved all his family, but particularly being a Pop-Pop to his grand-children.  He also enjoyed eating pastries, reading romance novels, watching Hallmark movies and the Gilmore girls (he became a real softie as he got older), following Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and he was always meticulously organized.  Even after so many medical setbacks and hospitalizations, he never gave up and loved doing physical therapy and the hugs and smiles he received from his favorite staff members at Franklin Health. George is survived by his three daughters, Zita Barree (Michael), Elisabeth Ward (Nathan), and Rose Bennett (Robert), his sister Margaret Koiro, and his five grandchildren, Augusta, Jared, Stefan, Allison and Nicholas. A mass of Christian burial will be held at Resurrection’s temporary location, Trinity Ecumenical Parish, on Thursday, October 17, at 11:00 a.m., with visitation starting at 10:30 a.m.  A reception will follow the burial. Burch-Messier Funeral Home in Bedford is assisting the family.  To send condolences, please visit https://burch-messier.com/.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider donations to Lake Christian Ministries.