George Wilcox Bush was born October 27, 1952 to Nancy Ross Bartlett Bush and Sterling Price Bush. He passed away from Lewy Body Dementia peacefully at home with his family at his bedside Monday, September 2, 2024.
George was the fourth child of a growing family that moved into what was affectionately known as “Shrub Hill” just before he was born. He enjoyed the freedom of roaming around his neighborhood and driving his go cart from his home on Seneca Drive up Inwood Road to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream! He loved hiding in the bushes after placing a wallet in the middle of his street attached to a string. As soon as the hopeful finder reached to grab his find, the wallet was snatched into the shrubbery!
George became known for numerous capers both at home and at school. Following his time at St. Mark’s School of Texas and Greenhill School he attended Peacock Military Academy where he managed to connect Colonel Donald Peacock’s phone line to a space by his bunk so he could have his own phone. His interest in communications served him well years later.
He completed his Reserve Officers’ Training on May 27, 1972, graduating Salutatorian and was offered an appointment to West Point. Although George chose to attend SMU, he was well on his way to a life of success in business and real estate. George was a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in May of 1976.
Following graduation George joined his father’s business, Bush Lumber. This led to George’s interest in home building, and he started building spec homes in North Dallas.
On March 17, 1979, George was attending his Dervish Club St. Patrick’s Day Party when a former girlfriend introduced him to Sharla Arthur. A week later they had their first date and married March 14, 1980.
They welcomed Rex Arthur Bush on September 9, 1981. Laura Bartlett Bush arrived March 1, 1984. George adored his children and loved taking them camping every year to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in summer and skiing in winter. The best memories were made in the mountains and of course, at Disney World!
As the children were growing up, George was once again living his communications dreams. Builders had two-way radios in their cars to communicate with contractors. As a side business he started a two-way radio service. It wasn’t long before he founded Parkway Paging and acquired radio communications towers. Along with communications, he started building commercial office complexes.
Parkway Paging became the largest privately held paging company in the state of Texas. After attending a paging convention in the mid ‘90’s, he came home and told Sharla they needed to start positioning Parkway to sell. He said he saw the most remarkable thing. It was the size of a pager, but it flipped open and was a phone! He told Sharla the day those hit the market, pagers would be dinosaurs. Parkway Paging sold in July of 1996 and George turned his sights to Historic Downtown McKinney.
When the family moved to McKinney in 1987 the Square was not the thriving, interesting place it is today. Most buildings were grossly neglected. There were few restaurants and even fewer shops. Parking was certainly not an issue. George saw potential there and believed Downtown McKinney was a diamond in the rough.
He was one of the first people to take a chance on buying buildings and start the renovation of McKinney’s downtown. George bought buildings no one else would touch! The sale of Parkway afforded him the opportunity to invest and do it right. Everett Hamm (Hamm’s Meat Market) let George have it one day for doubling the taxes downtown!
As Robert O’Donnel said, it became like a game of Monopoly. Who was going to purchase the prime corners and start turning boarded up buildings into charming venues for retail and offices.
Then he turned his sites to the west side of town and built his first shopping center at Eldorado and Craig. But his true love was Historic Downtown McKinney.
Billy Wayne Turrentine gave George and Sharla the greatest compliment at an open house at Sharla’s one evening when he said they were integral in causing the Square to become the success it is today. George may have started the fire, but countless other men and women have fanned the flames and put their life savings into Downtown McKinney and taken chances on an old historic square. The City of McKinney presented George with the Award of Excellence for Commercial Historic Preservation/Restoration.
George served on various boards and committees in the community. The City of McKinney was grateful to have him serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission from 2010-2014.
The Bushes have made McKinney their home and are eternally grateful for the friends who have come along side them and supported and encouraged their dreams.
George is preceded in death by his parents, Nancy and Sterling Bush, brother, Bryan Bush, sister, Betsy Bush Sandison, and brother-in-law, Alvis Arthur. He is survived by his wife, Sharla Arthur Bush, son, Rex Arthur Bush of Dallas, daughter, Laura Bartlett Bush Freeman, husband, Joshua James Freeman Sr., their children, Joshua James Freeman Jr., George Wayne Freeman, Gracie Bartlett Freeman, and Isaac Arthur Freeman of Naples, Florida, brothers and sisters-in-law, Rick and Mary Bush of Dallas, Charlie and Donna Bush of Frisco, Colin and Pat Gallagher of St. Louis, Missouri, and BeAnn and Roland Arthur of Westover Hills, Texas.
If George could tell you the most important thing he has left to do, it would be to take all his family and friends with him to Heaven. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Here's to a life well lived and to the legacy he has left McKinney. See you in Heaven, George!
Sharla and all the family give heartfelt thanks to the devoted caregivers and nurses, Jane, Valarie, Johnnie, Linda, Nicholas and Shunna who lovingly cared for George during the final months of his life, and to Emilia who served double duty early on managing the house and keeping an eye on George.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, September 9, 2024 at First United Methodist Church, 315 North Church Street, McKinney, Texas 75069. The service will also be live streamed by FUMC by clicking on the following link: https://www.sharingtheheart.org/ceremonies/. Following the service, a procession will make its way to Ridgeview Memorial Park, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013 for a committal service.
The family will receive friends during a visitation on Sunday afternoon, September 8, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013.