George Eli Thayer

George Eli Thayer, 95 February 25, 1924 – March 12, 2019 It is with deep regret that we report the death of George Eli Thayer.   He is survived by the love of his life, Audrey Loretta (McCabe), with whom he shared 76 years of marriage.  He leaves legacies through his daughter Tina Thayer-Canning and his son Art R. Thayer, 7 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and 10 great great grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his daughter, Tina Thayer-Canning, his brother Arthur Roy Thayer, and his parents.  A longtime resident and farmer of Rathdrum, Idaho, George was born to Osie and Annie Thayer in Excell, Alberta, Canada, and shortly after he and his family moved to the Spokane / Coeur d’Alene area.  He attended West Valley High School before entering the Navy in 1943 during WWII.  His naval career began at Farragut Naval Station in Bayview, Idaho, followed by training in Norman, Oklahoma, where he was an Aviation Mechanic US Navy.  He continued his career at Patuxent River Naval Base in Maryland.  After his discharge at the war’s end in 1945, he returned to the Spokane / Coeur d’Alene area.  Shortly after, he began his engineering career at Grinnell Company in Spokane where he quickly rose to department engineer in Seattle, Washington and returned to Spokane in 1964.  Starting in 1949 George began acquiring land on the Rathdrum Prairie and added to it until his retirement from Grinnell in 1966 when he began farming fulltime.  The farm, originally known as Thayer Seed and Service, raised Kentucky bluegrass seed along with wheat, barley, and oats.  After becoming one of the first farms in the area to raise turf, the company became Thayer Seed and Sod, as it remains to this day.  Throughout his countless business interactions over the years, the only contract George needed was a handshake.  George’s kindness, sense of humor, and intellect will be sorely missed by anyone who knew him.    Services: Riplinger Funeral Home (4305 North Division, Spokane, WA) Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 1:00, Interment to follow: Fairmount Memorial Park (5200 West Wellesley, Spokane, WA).