Native Palo Altan George Ely dies Native Palo Altan George Ely dies (May 12, 2004)

George Ely, a native of Palo Alto and brother of longtime Palo Altan Leonard Ely, died May 2 in Walnut Creek after an illness. He was 77 and had suffered from dementia for three years, moving from his residence in Lafayette to a care home in Walnut Creek.

He was born and raised in Palo Alto and received a master's degree from Stanford University in 1951. He and his wife of 56 years, Bernice Ann, were married in 1948 in the Stanford Chapel.

Ely retired in 1981 after 33 years in pharmaceutical sales for Parke, Davis & Co. He was an avid fisherman and hunter, and had a second home in Coffee Creek, a favorite fishing site in the Siskiyou Mountains. He always had hunting dogs for pheasant hunting.

He was a member of the Lafayette Rotary Club, served as president in 1962 and in 1986 helped build a school in Peru as part of a Rotary International program. He was an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau in Oakland for many years, and served on the March of Dimes board in Contra Costa County. He also was a member of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco.

Leonard Ely recalled that he and his brother had differing temperaments -- Leonard was more quiet but "George was the one who caused mom and dad a little excitement from time to time." He said George was gentlemanly toward women but something of a "red-neck" when younger, driving a pickup with a bumper sticker that said the truck was "insured by Smith & Wesson."

Their parents were Leonard Ely, M.D., and Jessica Wilbur Ely -- their grandfather was Ray Lyman Wilbur, an early president of Stanford.

In addition to Leonard, George Ely is survived by three sons: George Ely Jr. of Davis, Charles Ely of Walnut Creek and David Ely of Grass Valley; two granddaughters, Jillian Ely of Walnut Creek and Kristin Ely of San Francisco; and two sisters, Jessica Hart of Ross and Agnes Berg of Sacramento.

Services will be held Thursday, May 13, at 11:30 a.m. at Hull's Chapel, 1139 Saranap Ave., Walnut Creek. The family prefers memorials be donations to a favorite charity.

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