George Jarrell Easterling

On Thursday, September 2, 2021,our precious Dad and Big Daddy, George Jarrell Easterling, stepped into his Heavenly home and took Jesus by the hand…and we have no doubt, was greeted with "Well done, good and faithful servant." Our hearts are hurting but what an incredible legacy he has left for all of us and we take comfort knowing that we will see him again! Dad was born December 11, 1926 to Charles and Flora House Easterling in Thornton, Arkansas and grew up on a farm not far from there. Dad had seven brothers and sisters who predeceased him. He grew up during the Great Depression and worked on the family farm picking cotton. Not long after Dad turned 18, he enlisted in the US Army in 1945 and participated in the occupation of Japan shortly after World War II as a member of the 11th Airborne Division and was discharged Christmas Day, 1946. He was proud of his time as a paratrooper during the war and lived his entire life as an extremely proud American. He was truly part of the Greatest Generation. He continued his service to his country by joining the Army National Guard after moving to Texas and served them for eight years. Dad married Janice Ward on March 18, 1947 in Lonoke County, Arkansas and moved to Freeport, Texas in 1951 where Dad had been offered a job with the Dow Chemical Co. Dad took college classes at night to advance his career, worked hard and spent the majority of his career in Polyethylene at Dow before retiring in 1982. He was a loved and respected Supervisor who kept in touch with many of his Dow family. From early on, Dad was the epitome of a true servant leader and taught his kids and grandkids to follow in his footsteps. He ingrained in all of us the importance of a good education, hard work and giving back to your community. He prayed for us, loved us and held us accountable…all of which has made us the people we are today. His lifetime of serving others started not long after his retirement. He began working nights in the Emergency Department as a host at Brazosport Memorial Hospital where he was able to comfort not only patients waiting to be treated, but more importantly, their concerned families. He rocked babies, held hands and prayed over people for more than 12 years. When he and Mom moved to Angleton in 1995, he moved his volunteering to Angleton Danbury Hospital where he was a member of the Auxiliary and volunteered in the Surgical Center for close to 20 years, doing whatever they needed him to do. Dad began volunteering at the Brazoria County Historical Museum in 1998 where he loved helping others do research after many years of doing his own family genealogy research. He was in the inaugural class of the Angleton Police Department Citizens Police Academy and helped at the PD doing a variety of duties. He also volunteered at Velasco Elementary in Freeport and Frontier Elementary in Angleton helping children with reading but mostly just being a mentor. Dad also counted money and was a faithful bell ringer for many years with The Salvation Army. Even in the last few years, he would ring with his kids and grandkids, even at times from a chair, so he could talk with everyone that came by. He was a proud member of VFW Post 8576 and had been an active member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution for over 35 years and the Sons of the Confederacy. He also donated blood his entire life and gave over 15 gallons of red cells throughout the years. Although he would look for the thankless jobs out of the public eye, Dad was awarded the 2002 Brazosport Facts Citizen of the Year, the 2003 Angleton Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year and in 2019, Action's Inc. awarded him with the Senior Citizen of the Year. He accepted them all graciously but was quick to thank whom he called the "unsung heroes" he worked with for making things happen. Dad was a Deacon and Sunday School teacher at West End Baptist Church in Freeport for many, many years. After his vision began to fail, he and Mom became members of First Baptist Church of Brazoria, First Baptist Church of Angleton and he was a current member of Second Baptist Church of Angleton. Attending church was essential to him and was where many lasting friendships were formed. If you were around him for more than a few minutes, he was going to tell you what a difference Jesus had made in his life. He wanted to make sure everyone he knew and loved would spend eternity in Heaven with him and we can only imagine the number of people he helped bring to Christ in his lifetime. In 2015, he moved to Country Village Care Assisted Living and soon became known throughout the campus! He quickly became the welcoming committee, resident gardener, exercise leader, and pretty much told the sweet Administrators how to run the place! But his true passion was to minister to the people there in whatever way he could from taking new residents under his wing, praying with people and checking on those who couldn't get out. He volunteered weekly at The Gathering Place and baked cookies and brownies not only for the staff and the residents, but also for places that held a special place in his heart like the Angleton Police Department, Angleton Danbury Hospital and AAEMC. He was affectionately known around town as the "Cookie Man." He loved playing dominoes and cards with friends and would never turn down a good game even if he lost. He was crowned the Valentine King in 2016 and 2017 and was loved by everyone. He was the encourager and motivator - even to people significantly younger than him. Above all else, his greatest joy was his family. He loved his kids and grandkids more than life and was their constant supporter and cheerleader. His legacy will live on in all of us. Proceeded in death by our Mom, Janice, who he was married to for 56 years before her death. Left to cherish his memory are his kids - daughter Diana Naylor (John), son Terry Easterling (Sue Fowler) and daughter Patti Worfe. He is also survived by his favorites - his grand and great grandchildren who he loved to talk about to anyone that would listen - Jason Easterling, Ashlee Easterling, Ryan Thornton (Amber) and Paige Worfe along with Skylar Bell, Ethan Easterling and Runa Thornton. He is also survived by a very special family that he considered his own - Larry and DeeDee Mize and their girls, Kim Schaub and Brandye Mize. We are so grateful to the Administrators and Staff at County Village Care for giving Dad a place to continue his mission here on earth. He loved each staff member and every resident like family. Thank you for making his last few years fuller than we could have ever imagined. Memorials may be made in Dad's memory to any of his favorite charities - the Wounded Warrior Project, the Salvation Army, the Brazoria County Historical Museum or to a charity of your choice. Pallbearers will be Jason Easterling, Ryan Thornton, Larry Mize, Roy Karl, Gary Garland and Michael Bailey. A private family graveside will be held with a Celebration of Dad's life in the coming weeks. We want to be sure we can pass out hugs the way Dad would've wanted to. Service Details. Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. View Tribute Book