Morris George Blinkenberg

George Blinkenberg was born in Page, North Dakota on October 5, 1940, to Evelyn Elizabeth (Mathewson) and Morris Hans Blinkenberg. He lived the majority of his life in Santa Cruz County, California, after his family moved to Watsonville when he was a young child. He is a 1959 graduate of Watsonville High School. George settled in Santa Cruz in the early 1960’s after his marriage to Sandra (Zinter). He and Sandy had two children, Gina and John. In 1974 he married Carol Chastain and they had a son, Jerry.

He worked 35 years as an iron worker all over the San Francisco Bay area, employed most of that time by Santa Cruz Re-Bar. He was a member of the Ironworkers Local 377 Union for over 62 years. After an early retirement, George was a commercial fisherman on Monterey Bay, along with doing handyman jobs for friends and family.

George was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, panning for gold and being the camp cook on the annual hunting trips to the Sierra Nevada mountains. He played golf for many years at Spring Hills Golf Course with his brother J.R. and brother-in-law Charles and was a member of the Watsonville SIRs.

Everyone loved George’s sense of humor and kindness, he was always willing to help. He loved his family very much. At the beginning of 2022 he moved to Arlington, Texas, to be close to daughter Gina, as well as his other family members living in the Dallas area.

George was preceded in death by his parents; brother J.R. Blinkenberg; sisters Bonnie Reese and Ginger Taibl; sons John Patrick Blinkenberg and Jerry Morris Blinkenberg. He is survived by his daughter, Gina Tilker (husband Mark); brother James Blinkenberg (wife Judy); sisters Elizabeth Shannon and Arlene Price; grandchildren Lindsey Zavala (husband Angel), Paige Tilker and Jacob Tilker; great-grandchildren Kali and Brody Zavala; and many nieces and nephews.

We are grateful to the staff at Brookdale Pecan Park, Arlington, and St. Gabriel’s Hospice & Palliative Care, Fort Worth, for making him feel comfortable and caring for him.