Named after War of 1812 hero, Commodore O. H. Perry, the town of Perry, NY, was the boyhood home of Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the United States.  On September 20, 1922, this thriving farm community became known as the birthplace of George F. Kilby, the firstborn of the six children of Frederick P. Kilby and his dear wife, Reta B. Ayrault.  As was common in those days, little George was born in his parents' home.

Frederick Kilby had been born in Leicester, England, on January 5, 1885.  As a young man, he emigrated from Liverpool, arriving at Ellis Island on April 27, 1907.  Reta Ayrault was born in Perry, NY, on September 14, 1898.  She was employed as the local school teacher when she met Frederick.  After their marriage, Frederick supported his family by share-cropping the rich farm land, while Reta remained at home.  She was happy to care for her husband, their home and the six marvelous children who were born to them.  Millie, Frank, Leon, Marge and Don followed George into the family circle.

The family moved north of Perry to Batavia, another agricultural community, located between Buffalo and Rochester.  It was in Batavia that George grew to manhood.

Tragically, when George was only 12 years old, his father died.  Frederick had an eye infection that migrated to his brain.  This was a major turning point in George's young life.  After the death of her husband, Reta was forced to find work to support her family.  She was able to secure a job as a sales clerk in a small department store in Batavia.

This brought an abrupt end to George's childhood.  He needed to shoulder more responsibility than was usual for a boy of his age.  George and Millie were left in charge of their younger brothers and their little sister.  Because of their shared responsibilities, the two of them developed a very close relationship.   Millie took on the cooking and cleaning chores for the family.  George also had to bring in whatever money he could to help the family.  He found odd jobs, working for many different local farmers in the area after school each day and on weekends.  Life was definitely not easy, but the family was able to stay together.

Even with his work, George was able to have fun with his friends.  They enjoyed playing pranks, like tipping over outhouses.  George also loved sports, especially basketball and track.  He excelled at both in high school and in his senior year, he went to the NY State Basketball Finals as a star forward.  Hunting was another of George's passions.  He hunted woodchucks for the bounty he received for pelts and he brought home rabbits and pheasants for the family dinners.

George always worked hard, getting straight A's all through school.  He was a high achiever and was able to skip a grade, which allowed him to graduate from Alexander Central High School in 1940, at the age of 17.  During his senior year, he had the honor of being Class President.

Shortly after America's entrance into World War II, George enlisted in the Air Force in 1942.  He was only 19 years old at the time.  He was originally sent to Lubbock, TX, but was transferred to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.  Like many young men who love to fly, he aspired to be a fighter pilot.  He wanted to fly a P38, so he began to take multi-engine training.  Due to the heavy European losses, any multi-engine pilots were immediately moved to bomber training.  George became a B-24 bomber pilot, fueling his love of flying to new levels.  It was a love that lasted throughout his life.  George served in his capacity as a bomber pilot throughout World War II.  After completing 21 bombing missions, including the famous raids (twice) on the Ploesti Oil Fields, George was seriously injured during a German air raid while riding in a Jeep.  He spent more than 6 months in the hospital and would carry the after-effects of his injuries with him for the rest of his life.  After rehab he went back to active duty.  He was a highly decorated pilot, receiving the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, along with six other citations.

When World War II combat concluded and his work with the German Relief Effort came to an end, George was stationed in Detroit.  It was there that he met Phyllis Price, a young widow with a 4 year old son.  Her husband had been killed during Patton's march to Berlin.  George and Phyllis were married on August 5, 1945, in Great Falls, Montana.  Since he was still on active duty, there was no time for a real honeymoon.

Phyllis grew up in Dearborn, MI, so that is where they decided to make their first home.  Along with little Douglas, they took up residence in a modest dwelling on Union Street.  Their son Gregory George was born there on March 20, 1948.

Because of his multi-engine expertise, George's tour of duty was extended into the Korean conflict.  While stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan, George had the opportunity to meet, work and fly with the famous WW2 Ace – General Gabby Gabreski.  He knew George would be called into Korea and put a request in to have George be part of his F86 Fighter Squadron.  This was a dream come true for George. However, as always in war, things do not work out as planned.  Because of his multi-engine skills, George ended up flying primarily C-47 cargo planes instead of the F86 fighters he dreamed of.  At the time of his retirement from the Air Force, George had attained the rank of Major.

When George left the service, he worked three jobs to support the family.  He had never been afraid of hard work, so he plunged into a job at Montgomery Ward during the day and went directly to his second job at a gas station, working until midnight.  On weekends, he worked in a tool-and-die shop.  Later he was able to land a Job at INLAND STEEL where he met and worked with Jack Foster in sales and, in 1954, the two friends became partners in their own heating and air conditioning distribution company.  Foster-Kilby Supply Co. was located on Auburn Avenue in Pontiac, MI.  George worked on building the business and serving contractors , finally retiring in 1991. 

The interest in hunting which began as a necessity in his youth became George's favorite hobby.  His prime hunting venue was Wyoming--especially the Little Big Horn area.  His prey included elk, mule deer and antelope.  His shooting expertise with Weatherby 300 Mag was legendary among his hunting companions, earning him the nickname "Thundergun."  George often dreamed of moving to Wyoming or Montana, where the air was clean and the countryside was less populated than in Michigan.  He loved the outdoors and wide open spaces.

In addition to hunting, George still enjoyed flying.  He had relished his time in the Air Force and watched every movie he could find on the war years.  Eventually, he was able for a few short years to have his own private plane – a Beach Craft Musketeer.  He loved flying it.  He also loved photography and was known to upgrade his camera equipment on a regular basis, to better capture action shots of his grandchildren competing in gymnastics or playing soccer.  And it was George who could be counted on to chronicle any Kilby family reunion.

George took an interest in family heritage and spent a good deal of time researching his roots, with the aid of his nephew Paul Bisig.  Not surprisingly, family gatherings were a big part of George's life; he loved getting everyone together.  He hosted many great dinner parties and Christmas gatherings.  The grandchildren knew that they must have their Christmas lists ready for him by Thanksgiving.  He was generous to a fault.

A residual from his farming days, George had a wonderful green thumb.  He grew the biggest and best tomatoes.  His blueberry bushes would rival anyone's.  In addition to gardening, George had an appreciation of fine scotch and great wines.  Brolio Chianti was his favorite.  Dark chocolate was his weakness, but he couldn't pass up chocolate-covered raisins, either.

George Kilby had a great love for his wife, his two sons, his five grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.  He was especially proud of living to see the birth of his little great-great grandson Tristan in Florida, who unfortunately  he never had the chance to meet. He was incredibly generous to all of them.  There is nothing that he wouldn't do for his loved ones. 

Besides his devotion to his family, George harbored a great love of his country and its Armed Forces--especially the Air Force.  He held on to his strong conservative values and maintained great respect for our veterans and for the Wounded Warriors. 

George F. Kilby passed away on September 26, 2014.  He was 92 years old.  For 49 years, George had been the devoted husband of the late Phyllis.  He was the dearest father of the late Douglas (Carole) and Greg (Molly) and the loving grandfather of the late Karen Albosta, Susan, Lisa, Greg (Erin) and Brooke (Osama).  George was proud to be the great-grandfather of the late Aaron Albosta, Jessica, Vienna, Sammy, Harper, Eli and the triplets: Dane, Berlin and Payton and the great-great grandfather of Tristan.  George is survived by his dear brother Donald.  His other siblings, Millie Pierce, Frank, Leon and Marge Bisig preceded him in death. 

Family and friends may visit Thursday 2:00-4:30 PM and 6:00-8:30 PM at McCabe Funeral Home Canton Chapel, 851 N. Canton Center Rd., Canton. Funeral service will be conducted Friday 10:00 AM at the funeral home.  Interment will take place at Acacia Park Cemetery, Beverly Hills.

In honor of George's Air Force service, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.