George Logan Cole, Sr., died peacefully at his home in Kinston, NC in the early hours of Thursday, June 12, 2014. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday at Immanuel Baptist Church in Kinston, with Rev. Jon Campbell officiating. Burial will follow at Onslow Memorial Park in Jacksonville. George was born in Orange County, NC on October 14, 1924 to Edward Howard Cole, Sr. and Hester Savannah Connor Cole. After graduation from Bessemer High School in Greensboro, NC, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he was assigned to the 748th Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. George was based in England in 1944-45, where he flew 30 missions over Europe as a tail gunner in the squadron's lead B-17 bomber. After WWII, George remained in the US Air Force active reserves and was called up during the Korean War. The war ended before he was sent to Korea, but he remained in the active reserves until retirement in 1971. In civilian life, George became a licensed electrician which led to a 33-year career as a civil servant in Planning and Estimating at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in Jacksonville, NC. He and his first wife, Helen Saunders Cole, raised their three children in Jacksonville and were active members of Enon Chapel Baptist Church, where he helped build the new church building. During these years, he was active in the LaFayette Lodge No. 83 in Jacksonville and attained the rank of 32nd degree mason. After the death of his first wife, George married Jean Braxton Humbles and moved to her home in Kinston, NC. He continued his commitment to his Christian faith at her church, Immanuel Baptist, as a member and deacon and, once again, was there to help build a new church building. George and Jean spent many happy years traveling the United States and Canada in their RV and made a number of lifelong friends along the way. Family was very important to George. He greatly enjoyed the family reunions in recent years where he grew to love a whole new generation of nieces and nephews. As his health was declining, George drew great pleasure and comfort from his church. When he no longer felt able to attend Sunday morning services, his family knew that his life was drawing to a close. George was predeceased by his first wife, his parents, his brothers Ted, Mallie, Junior (Ed), and Kenneth, and his sisters Lucille Abernethy and Lillian Kilby. He is survived by his wife, Jean; sister, Naomi D'Onofrio (Joe), daughters, Rebecca Saddler (Tibor) and Katherine Cole (Steve Garfinkel); son, George L. Cole, Jr. (Pat Speidel); stepdaughters, Judy Bass (Ed) and Jo Anne Suomala (Don); grandsons, Matthew Cole (Julie) and Brandon Bass; granddaughters, Lindsay Alexander (Ammon Ford), Stephanie Cole, Wendy Collier, and Leslee Potter; two great-grandchildren, Madeline Cole and Jody Dickens; and two special nephews, Jerry Cole (Judy) and David Cole (Colleen) and their families. We will all miss George's dry wit, wicked sense of humor, and unending sunny outlook. The family will receive friends Saturday afternoon, prior to the service, beginning at 12:00 PM, at the church.