George A. Wyrsch

On March 6, 2010, long time resident and businessman, George A. Wyrsch, passed peacefully at the age of 95. George was born in Port Blakely on July 26, 1914 and moved to North Bend’s Tollgate Farm in 1921. The son of a farmer, George soon realized he didn’t want to work the land the rest of his life. “The day I graduated high school was the day I milked my last cow,” he once said.George graduated from North Bend High School in 1934. He attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship, but left after one year due to a back injury. Upon returning home, George went to work at the Sorenson Ford Garage in Snoqualmie. George always enjoyed driving fast cars, but it was here that he learned to repair them. In 1941, George was able to borrow $500 to lease his first gas station on North Bend Way. He was drafted into the Army the following year, serving as a master sergeant serving under General George S. Patton. In 1946 was a banner year for George. He returned home, purchased a small Richfield station (home of the current North Bend Shell station), and married Mildred Gustafson of Meadowbrook. The business grew to be one on the highest volume stations in Washington State. Lamenting the lack of a good restaurant in North Bend, George decided to expand. In 1953, he and his partners opened the Gateway Café. At one time George was president of both the Washington State Restaurant Association and the Washington State Service Station Association. These positions allowed him to play an active role in bringing the 1962 World’s Fair to Seattle. George was known as hard worker. He had little patience for laziness or work that was not well done. Off the job, he loved going for drives, dancing, bowling and working with the Lion’s Club, where he was a charter member. George and Millie often took trips by car or plane, traveling to all fifty states and 48 countries. George was preceded in death by his sister Ann, brother Frank and daughter Mary. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mildred; his brother, Walter Wyrsch; children Sally Cash, George G. Wyrsch (Sharon) and Carolyn Kriegel (Paul), grandchildren Patrick McDonald (Janet), Vicky Martin (Carl), Jeffrey McDonald (Shelly); Bryan Wyrsch (Tessa), Debby Wyrsch-Lukas; Jeff Kriegel (Kelcy), Tim Kriegel and 9 great-grandchildren.George’s advice to his grandchildren was to, “study hard, work hard and play hard. Be willing to listen and also strong enough to speak your piece. Remember, a smiling face and a cheery ‘Hello’ will always help you.” Please share your stories with the family at georgememories@gmail.com