Deceased March 17, 2011
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In Memory
George Herbert Utter II was born in Westerly, R.I., the son of George Benjamin Utter, Class of 1905, and Katherine Wilbar Utter. He attended the Westerly Schools and Deerfield Academy before entering Amherst. His life was devoted to publishing the Westerly Sun; his passion was local history and celebrating people.
George’s education was interrupted by World War II. He served as a motor messenger with the 75th Division of the U.S. Army and was wounded in the line of duty. After the war, he returned to complete his degree program in 1948.
He was “a man for all seasons.” Each time you would meet him at a reunion, he was engaged in a new endeavor, always with a smile and infectious enthusiasm.
For each reunion, classmates looked forward to his special edition of the Westerly Sun in which he interspersed stories and pictures about members of the class with regular news stories of the day.
He loved music and for many years participated in the Chorus of Westerly. He was an avid square dancer and later a member of the Westerly Morris Men, a group which performed traditional English folk dances.
In addition to his artistic endeavors, he served on the Westerly Charter Commission and the finance board, and was treasurer of the Westerly troops of the Boy Scouts of America for more than 20 years.
An old friend of George said, “He was the kind of guy who was always helping somebody.”
George was predeceased by his wife, Anne Hall Utter, who died in 2006. He is survived by his sister Jean McCrosky of Harvard, Mass.; his three children, Katie Shaffer of Bangor, Maine, Robert Utter of North Stonington, Conn., and Loraine Washburn of Brunswick, Maine; and six grandchildren.
He will be remembered as a loyal member of his fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and a proud member of the Class of 1945.
Jack Deady ’45