L. Friedl

Moline, Illinois
George Friedl, 81, of Moline, Illinois, died of a sudden stroke on Friday, March 23,2007, in Trinity Medical Center, Rock Island. As he had requested, George was an organ donor.
Services are at 11 a.m., Monday, April 2, at First Congregational Church, Moline, with The Reverend Jacqueline Perry officiating. Burial is in Rock Island National Cemetery where Moline American Legion Post #246 will present military honors. Visitation is 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday, April 1, at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline. Memorials may be made to the church.
George Louis Friedl was born May 24, 1925, in Waterloo, Iowa, the son of Edward and Gertrude (Martin) Friedl and the brother of Virginia (Friedl) Scott. A Bachelor of Science graduate of Iowa State University, he served with honors in the U.S. Army as a Private First Class and 1st Lieutenant during WWII, fighting in the New Guinea Campaign. On June 19, 1948, in Waterloo, he married his childhood sweetheart and only love, Marjorie Bodholdt Lund.
A high school basketball forward, All-State football halfback and the baseball pitcher who initiated West Waterloo High School's baseball program, George exemplified an athletic excellence surpassed only, perhaps, by the drive, dedication, and leadership with which his teammates were inspired. Better known as "Crash the Corn State Terror," this Cyclone letterman pursued his athletic passion even during wartime ? whether boxing with army buddies or pitching with the likes of Hall of Famer Early Wynn.
From his teens on, George worked for Deere & Company in the engineering, management, and personnel fields. While positions located the Friedls in Des Moines, Ottumwa, and Moline, his experience as General Manager in Monterrey, Mexico, gratified George particularly. Eager for new challenges, George retired from Deere on a Friday ? and on the succeeding Monday he began his second career as a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch.
The First Congregational Church in Moline claimed George as a member. He belonged to the Moline Kiwanis Club and was one of South Park Tennis Club's founders. He enjoyed the quiet contemplation fishing afforded, but in George the athletic urge to compete predominated. From the time in his thirties when he taught himself the sport ? and until his eightieth year, George found in tennis the lifelong game he loved most.
George is survived by his wife, Marjorie. Also surviving are two daughters and their families: Marcia Friedl Smith, husband Todd Smith, and children Grace Marie and Benjamin Allen Smith, of Chicago; and Margy Ehmann, husband Dr. W. Christopher Ehmann, and son W. Gage Ehmann, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
George's family invites friends to visit www.TrimbleFuneraIHomes.com.