George Norman Croft's Obituary
George Norman Croft, 94, of Gambrills, MD, passed away peacefully at Arbor Terrace Waugh Chapel on 25 February 2026.
He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1931 to Bruce Croft and Ethel Baker, who instilled in George his curiosity and love of repairing things. Proactive young George was featured in the local news for having saved his family from a fire. At age 10, George and his family moved to Northern California, where he spent much of his adult life. George served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War from 1952 to 1954, earning multiple medals for his service. Not long after his return from Korea, George met the love of his life, Janet (Jan) Ellingson at a mutual friend’s party. Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married in San Jose, California on July 29, 1955.
George began his civilian career as a service technician for Pontiac, launching a long and successful career with General Motors that leveraged his passion for repairing and upgrading cars. He held progressively responsible leadership positions in General Motors’ service organization, but he held a particular fondness for the time he spent at the GM training center teaching young people how to service vehicles. George’s love of all things automotive carried over to his personal interests as well, including building almost from scratch a massive inboard engine for the family ski boat.
George shared a love of golfing, dancing, radio-controlled model airplanes, and travel with his wife, Jan, and his many friends.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jan; daughters Cheryl Croft and Sue Dewey; grandchildren Josh (Sawa) Laux, Karen Daily, Jeff (Karla) Daily, Katy (Collin Meisel) Daily; and great grandchildren Dylan Daily, Alana Daily, Matt Laux, Liam Daily, and Greyson Meisel. George also had a soft spot for furry friends, treating each and every dog and cat like the valuable family member they were.
George was an active member of Calvary United Methodist Church of Annapolis.
Each of his friends and family members were blessed by George’s unwavering kindness, generosity, and sense of humor. We’ll always imagine hearing him sing “You are my sunshine” one more time. We couldn’t have asked for a better husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend and will miss George every day. His memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved him, and his sense of humor lives on in his family.
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