Medical Doctor, Mayor of Concord.

CONCORD - Dr. Liles of Concord, North Carolina, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, retired surgeon and former Mayor, passed away at home on Friday, May 22, surrounded by his family.

Born July 20, 1920, in McColl, South Carolina, George was the eighth of ten children of Sherwood Edmond Liles and Emma Welch Liles. His humble upbringing during the Great Depression, in a home full of love and faith, helped define the man George would become. In pursuit of new opportunities, the Liles family moved to Charlotte when George was 7 years old. He was a proud graduate of Central High School. From a young age, George knew he wanted to become a doctor so he could help heal people. In 1944, he graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science and Medical Degree. He entered the U.S. Navy and served as a medical officer (1944-1946) during World War II. After the war, George completed his medical training and began his practice in Concord. He was called back to Naval duty in 1953, serving as Fleet Medical Officer of the Sixth Fleet before returning to private practice in Concord in 1954. He started Cabarrus Surgical Clinic, opening his first office in the Kannapolis Professional Building. George added an office in Concord and served patients in both communities throughout his years in practice.

In 1958, he met and married the love of his life, Jane Perry of Wilmington, North Carolina. George and Jane have loved Concord together, raising their children, developing a lifetime of close friends, and serving the community in a multitude of ways. George was an active member of All Saints Episcopal Church for 54 years, serving as Senior Warden and Vestryman and also as a delegate to North Carolina Diocesan Conventions. In 1993, George retired from his surgical practice. Shortly thereafter, he and his close friend, Dr. David Lockhart, co-founded the Community Free Clinic to provide free medical care for the uninsured. He would continue to practice medicine for 15 more years, serving at the Free Clinic and caring for patients as the Medical Director of Transitional Health Services, a transitional health care facility in Kannapolis. During his long medical career, George was a member of the Cabarrus County Medical Society and served as its president in 1961. He was a member of the North Carolina Medical Society, the American Medical Society, and the American Society of Abdominal Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Southern Medical Association, where from 1969 until 1975 he served as Councilor for North Carolina. Also in 1993, with the encouragement of family, friends and colleagues, George embraced yet another opportunity to serve the community that had been so good to him by agreeing to run for Mayor of Concord. He was elected and served two terms as the city's first Republican Mayor since Reconstruction. George was instrumental in the growth of Concord, as he secured funding to build Concord Regional Airport, worked to attract new business to the community, helped develop the Rocky River Golf Club, laid the groundwork for a future convention center, and formed relationships that led to the development of the Concord Mills shopping complex. As Mayor, he was affiliated with the United States Conference of Mayors, Urban Water Council and Committee on Health, NC League of Municipalities, Transportation Committee, Coalition of Mayors – Major NC Cities, Metropolitan Transit Commission - Mecklenburg County, Advantage Carolina Committee, and the Coalition of Urban Cities.

His joys in life included spending time and traveling with family and friends, serving others, and watching his grandchildren grow. George loved the North Carolina mountains, spending as much time as possible over the past four decades at Grandfather Mountain. He also enjoyed vacationing at Wrightsville Beach, where he and Jane first met, and later at DeBordieu. George enjoyed snow skiing and golf into his late 70's, and was an avid gardener. He was a "gentleman farmer'" on his farm near Mt. Pleasant, where he enjoyed driving his tractor and tending his cows. Throughout his life, he enjoyed reading and keeping up with local, national and world events. While George was more comfortable with the title of servant than leader, he received many honors over his 88 years. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and was a member of the Order of the Arrow, and took great pride that all six of his grandsons chose to become Scouts. George was the recipient of the North Carolina Governor's Award for Volunteerism in 1994. In 1997, he was awarded the American Medical Association' annual Nathan Davis Award, given to the United States Mayor making the most outstanding contributions to health in his city. He received the Lowe's Motor Speedway Distinguished Service Award in 1999 and was named Man of the Year by the Cabarrus Chamber of Commerce in 2003. In 2004, he was honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award from UNC Charlotte. George served on the Boards of First Charter National Bank, the Concord Chamber of Commerce, the NC Symphony Society, the Cabarrus County Community Fund of the Foundation for the Carolinas, the UNC Charlotte Foundation, the United Way of the Central Carolinas, Cabarrus County Hospice and Palliative Care, Penick Home for the Aging in Southern Pines, the NC Children's Home Society, the Northeast Regional Hospital Foundation, Concord Downtown Development Corporation, and the Community Free Clinic. He also served on the Boards of Visitors of the School of Nursing at UNCC, Brown Summit Episcopal Church Center, and Stowe Botanical Gardens, and on the founding Board of Cabarrus Academy, now Cannon School.

George is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Jane, and their children, George Welch Liles, Jr. (Jock) and his wife Betsy Bell Liles of Concord, and Perry Liles Lucas and her husband Robert Theodore Lucas III of Charlotte. He was an adored ""Gandy'' to his seven grandchildren, George Welch Liles III, Paul Fisher Liles, Sherwood Edmond Liles II, Jackson Hines Liles, Robert Theodore Lucas IV, George Woodruff Lucas, and Jane Perry Lucas. George is also survived by brothers John Richardson Liles of Virginia Beach, VA, and Jack Siceloff Liles and his wife Dickie of Savannah, GA, sisters Catherine Liles Long of Greensboro and Sarah Liles Suiter of Charlotte, and many nieces and nephews. George will also be missed by his trusted golden retrievers, Chipper and Cocoa, who stayed right by his side through his illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Sherwood Edmond Liles, Jr., and sisters, Valeria Liles Watkins, Elizabeth Liles Mower, Julia Liles, and Nell Liles Henderson.

The family wishes to thank all of those who have prayed for George throughout his courageous battle with cancer. Because of God's grace and mercy, he was blessed with great peace and comfort. We are also grateful to his most loving caregivers, Frances, Tammy, Jackie, Pat, Gina, and all the nurses and staff from Transitional and Hospice of Cabarrus County. A celebration of George's life will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 25, at All Saints Episcopal Church in Concord, with the Rev. Fred Hoffman, the Rev. Roger Butler, and the Rev. Edward Scott officiating. A reception will be held at the church after the service, followed by a graveside service at Oakwood Cemetery, officiated by the Rev. Henry Long, nephew of Dr. Liles. The family will receive visitors at the home of Jock and Betsy Liles, 691 Williamsburg Drive N.E. in Concord, on Sunday evening, May 24, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Community Free Clinic, 528 Lake Concord Road NE, Concord, NC 28025; Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081; CMC Northeast Foundation, 920 Church Street N, Concord, NC 28025; or All Saints Episcopal Church, 525 Lake Concord Road NE, Concord, NC 28025. Condolences may be left online at WilkinsonFuneralHome.com. Wilkinson Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Published by Charlotte Observer on May 24, 2009.
Provided by Contributor: #48650537)∼George Welch Liles, M.D.
beloved husband, father, and grandfather, surgeon and former Mayor of the City of Concord, NC