George Josef Miskovsky, Jr.

On May 17, 2013, we said goodbye to our beloved father and grandfather, George Josef Miskovsky, Jr., as he left this world to join his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in His eternal Kingdom. George was born on July 28, 1934, in Oklahoma City. He attended Grover Cleveland Grade School, William H. Taft Junior High, and Classen High School. George loved sports and was a lifelong athlete. He played Little League for the Taft Explorers, started as quarterback his senior year, was an All-City swimming champion, and played polo at the New Mexico Military Institute. He also loved to compete with words, and no one was surprised the year he won Oklahoma's Ciceronian Oratory award. George attended the University of Oklahoma School of Law and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. In 1962 he was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar Association as well as the Federal Bar Association, of which he went on to serve as President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. George was admitted to the 10th Circuit Federal Bar and Western District U.S. Court and retired to Senior Status after 47 years of active practice. George served in the United States Army. He completed basic training at Camp Carson (now Fort Carson), Colorado, and was asked to join the Officer Training Corps. He declined and entered into the Courts and Boards Division of Judge Advocate General. His JAG assignment took him to Vicenza, Italy, where he lived for two years. In his free time, George traveled throughout Europe learning all he could about its rich history and diverse cultures. Prior to being honorably discharged, George was a member of the Southern European Task Force and received a Good Conduct medal. George's military service was a natural extension of his belief in democracy. He was a member of the Democratic party all of his adult life and was honored to nominate Oklahoma Governor and U.S. Senator Robert S. Kerr as a candidate for President of the United States at the 1952 Oklahoma State Democratic Convention. An avid sailor, George loved racing yachts. He won races from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific and at many inland venues in between. He was a Past Commodore of the Oklahoma City Boat Club, the National Irwin 23 Association, and the United States Yacht Racing Union/United States Sailing Association "Area F" (Lake Texhoma). He was a Life Commodore of the Oklahoma City Yacht Club and a member of the USYRA, USSA, and the Royal Alberta Creek Yacht Club. He served as a Senior Yacht Racing Judge for numerous local, state, and international regattas, most notably the Prince of Wales North American Men's Championship (Vancouver, British Columbia); the E-22 International World Championships (San Francisco, California); the I-23 National Championships (St. Petersburg, Florida); and, the Canadian Men's Championship. He was able to blend this passion into his work by serving as legal counsel for Schock Marine, Inc., and Hobie Industries, Inc. Of course George's favorite way to spend the day was on a golf course, and he played some of the finest in the world. At home, he had memberships at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club and Quail Creek Golf and Country Club. George's Christian faith and his appreciation for the principles of loyalty, honesty, and morality drew him to Freemasonry. He was a Master Mason attending Blue Lodge #276 and earned both Guthrie Scottish Rite 32nd degree and York Rite at the India Temple Shrine. George married Kristy Diane Rowland, the absolute love of his life, on August 21, 1982. They met on a airplane in Chicago and knew immediately that they were true soul mates. Although they didn't have any children together, George and Kristy greatly enjoyed raising their ever-growing brood of Norfolk Terriers: Spike, Trixie, Boo Boo, Rozi, Mitzi, and Twinkie. He cared for Kristy until she passed away from complications of rheumatoid arthritis on May 17, 2006. We are comforted by their eternal reunion, which is cause for great joy – and amazed they somehow managed to join the Lord on the exact same day, seven years apart! George was previously married to Margaret Douglas Rucks and Marie Elena Hinshaw. He and Marie have four children: George Josef III (Irina), Gregory Kristin (Krissy), Anne Marie (Doug), and Kristina Marie (Yale), all of whom survive him. He is also survived by two brothers Gary Philip Sr. and Grover Lee; a sister, Gail Marie Trice (Milton); his grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, George Josef Sr. and Nelly Oleta (Donahue), his wife, Kristy Diane, and his granddaughter, Mara Elise Lois. We would like to thank George's longtime physicians Dr. Carl J. Rubenstein and Dr. Phillip Adamson, as well as his good friend Dr. Robert Cooke, and his nurses Shawn, Geri, and Donna, who lovingly cared for him in his final years. George will be laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery alongside Kristy. A memorial will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, May 24, 2013, at Smith & Kernke Chapel. In lieu of flowers, we ask that those wishing to honor George do so by making a donation to The George and Nelly Miskovsky Scholarship, University of Oklahoma College of Law or the ASPCA.