"Certainly sorry to hear that George is gone. He was one of a kind - at least when I knew him in Des Moines. I share a lot of the memories that Bill Beck expressed in his posting, plus things like swimming lessons at the YMCA (not his favorite thing), Scouts, and that he taught me the radio announcer's warm-up/tongue twister that starts out "One hen. One hen, two ducks. One hen two ducks, three squawking geese...", which I still remember over 50 years later. I was privileged to be the first passenger in his very first car, a red 1953 Mercury convertible. Cool car! We took off to cruise Des Moines with the top down, and ended up in a fender bender before we got back."
In loving memory of
George A. Coburn
March 8, 1942 - July 11, 2009
MADISON -- George A. Coburn, 67, died Saturday, July 1, 2009. Born in Jefferson, Iowa on March 8, 1942 to Melba L. and Edmund A. Coburn, George grew up in Des Moines where he graduated from North High School.
Pursuing a lifelong love of radio, George studied at Brown Institute in Minneapolis and began his career as a disc jockey in Perry, Iowa. From there, his radio days took him to Ottumwa and Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then Poynette and Madison, Wis.
Along the way, he discovered his talent for radio news reporting and lent his distinctive voice to several Madison area stations, such as WLVE, WTSO and Z-104. Most recently, George worked for The Wheeler Report, where he managed its website and covered activities of the state Legislature.
George loved classic cars and convertibles, his family, his cats, baseball, laser tag, flying kites and anything tropical. He was known for his gentle, dry humor.
He is survived by his wife, Judy Newman Coburn; daughter, Leslie Schuman, of Minneapolis; son, Danny Coburn; in-laws, Jules and Lorraine Newman; and brother-in-law, Joel Newman and his wife, Jennifer and their daughters, Sarah and Liora, of Needham, Mass.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Funeral services will be held at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Rd., on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Bill W Wienke officiating. A visitation will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 from 4 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Paul C. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, 600 Highland Ave., Madison 53792-8350, or the Society for Melanoma Research, c/o Site Solutions Worldwide, P.O. Box 215, Burnt Hills, NY 12027.
Tributes
"Judy and family -- I am sorry to read about George's passing. There are many good memories of times that were spent with George at the house on 53rd street, in the middle 50's. The make believe radio station WFAH, recording plays on tape, playing cards at New Years, and Mrs. C's cooking. Also the visits with George, Lois and Leslie when they lived in Ottumwa. I enjoyed visiting with all of you at Melba's funeral in January 2007. Bill Beck "