George William Piper

George William Piper, age 79, a resident of Norton, passed away on March 16, 2018 of complications from Parkinson's. He was born September 25, 1938, to the late Carl and Ruth (Werner) Piper. 

George was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Alice (Al) Ruther; brother, Carl (Pat); and nephews, Don Ruther, Matt Piper and Bill Piper.  George is survived by his loving wife of nearly 60 years, Sharon (Howard); his children, Greg (Jan), Gail (Larry) Fox, Cathy (Dale) Robinson, Gary, Kay (Michele) and Ed; his grandchildren, Dale (Jen) Robinson, Lillian Piper, Christina (Keith) Akers and Ryan (Emma) Fox; his great-grandchildren, Cailyn, Aiden, Christian and Harper; and several nieces and nephews.  As a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, George loved being the family patriarch.

A graduate of Hower High School, George worked 37 years for Firestone, retiring in 1994. George was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church.  He was a longtime sports fan, always rooting for the Indians and the Buckeyes, and still hoped for the Browns to win a Super Bowl.  George was one of the best shortstops in the area, playing competitive ball well into his 60s.  He loved to travel and camp, was an avid bowler and a lifelong golfer who achieved a hole-in-one, but never got to shoot his age.

Our family wishes to extend much appreciation to his Parkinson's team led by Dr. Walter and Julie at University Hospital, his cardiologist, Dr. Hughes, his family physician, Dr. Panzner, the Rehab Therapists at Summa City and the palliative care team at the Justin T. Rogers Hospice Care Center.

Friends are invited to call at Bacher Funeral Home, 3250 Greenwich Rd, Norton, OH on Monday, March 19, 2018 from 5 to 8 p.m., and are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial Tuesday, March 20th at 10:00 a.m. at Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church, 161 W. Clinton Street, Doylestown, OH.  Burial will be in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to the National Parkinson's Foundation, 200 SE First Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131 (online at parkinson.org), or to Akron General Foundation, c/o Visiting Nurse Service, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, 1 Akron General Ave., Akron, OH 44307 (or online at www.akrongeneralblogs.org).