George Mann

George was born on February 8, 1931 to Agnes (née Sinclair) and Gustav Assmann at the Galt Hospital in Lethbridge. His family moved to Bashaw AB when he was eight months old. Following eight happy years growing up with his cousins in Bashaw, George and his parents entered a period of instability, seeking work for his father, a journeyman pipe fitter. A final move at age 14, allowed George to finish Grade 8 at Central School in Lethbridge. It was while attending the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute that George met Nellie Dogterom. She invited him to a Sadie Hawkins dance, which established them as a couple. George was named Most Valuable Player of the LCI basketball team, and was elected President of the Students’ Council in his final year of high school. George joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets during the summer months of 1948 and 1949. He also worked summers as a carpenter to pay for his university education. George graduated with a B.Ed. from the University of Alberta in 1953, but not before eloping with Nellie on August 16 of 1952. They both feared that Nellie’s dad would disapprove of their marriage. After all, her dad had offered to buy Nellie a piano if she didn’t marry George!

George’s love of singing began in 1939 when he was awarded a Superior mark in the Camrose Festival Grade 2 Boys’ Solo, and he continued singing as an adult, performing in 1950 with the University of Alberta Mixed Chorus and later with the Lethbridge Symphony Choir. George and Nellie spent countless hours at the piano, she playing and he singing. Many years later, George and his daughter Debbie sang together in the choir at McKillop.

After graduation, George accepted a teaching position in Lacombe AB where David, 1954 and Laurie, 1955 were born. He taught Drama 10 and 20 and introduced an evening of Three Act plays to the school community, in addition to volunteering to coach girls’ basketball. George moved his family to Lethbridge in 1956 when he accepted a teaching position at Wilson Junior High School. He and Nellie established friendships with other young families during his six years there. George took summer school and a one year leave in Edmonton to complete a Masters’ degree from the U of A in 1961 which allowed him to teach at the Lethbridge Junior College, now Lethbridge Polytechnic. Debbie was added to the family in 1962, followed by Darin in 1964. During the summer of 1967, George took classes at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He accepted a faculty position at the newly formed University of Lethbridge in the Department of Sociology, and was granted a one-year sabbatical and one-year unpaid leave to complete a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 1974. George served as Associate Dean of Student Services before being granted administrative leave for the 1978-1979 calendar year to take drama courses at the University of Victoria. When he returned to Lethbridge, George was named Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. Following a 23-year career at the U of L, George retired in 1990,

Seeking adventures outside of their hometown, George and Nellie travelled extensively throughout Canada and the United States as members of camping organizations. The mountains and the oceans were calling. Together, they maintained a “Better Homes and Gardens” yard complete with mature trees, tea roses, peonies and irises. Now retired, George set about to author two books, Theatre Lethbridge, 1993 and Sterndale Bennett, 2003. He was the recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 for his commitment to community theatre. Most notably George was named Honorary Lifetime Member of the Playgoers’ Club of Lethbridge, after, 25 years of contributions on stage, as club historian, and as director. George played the role of Ali Hakim in the Lethbridge Musical Theatre production of Oklahoma in 1964, and went on to play supporting roles in numerous LMT productions, earning a Lemmy award in 1982. George was an avid Edmonton Oilers fan and Edmonton Eskimos fan, now Elks. He loved watching ice skating and tennis, listening to CBC radio, and Rosemary Clooney and eating apple pie and ice cream.

Family always came first. He was a devoted and much-loved husband, father and grandad. We will always remember his generosity, his Sunday morning waffles and his stories. The words most often used to describe him by those who knew him were, “He was a gentleman and he was kind”.

George is survived by his son; David (Janet Hinton) Mann, of Burnaby BC; daughter Debra (Calvin) Logan, of Lethbridge; son Darin Mann of Lethbridge; his grandchildren Elisha (Chris) Newton, of New Westminster BC; Derek (Alyssa) Logan, of Grande Prairie AB; Kathleen (Michael) Wickham, of Nanaimo BC; Patrick (Gina Oostlander) Logan, of Lethbridge; four great-grandchildren; as well as nieces, nephews and their families.

George was predeceased by his beloved wife Nellie, daughter Laurin, and grandson Matthew Logan. The family would like to thank the dedicated and hard-working staff of Unit 3B and 4C at the Chinook Regional Hospital and Park Meadows Good Samaritans Village for showing up, and working their shifts with professionalism, empathy and knowledge.

A Celebration of George’s Life will be held at MCKILLOP UNITED CHURCH, 2329 15 Ave S, Lethbridge AB., on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Trevor Potter officiating. The Celebration of Life will be live-streamed and may be viewed through George’s obituary on the Cornerstone website.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Operation Eyesight Universal, Suite #205, 609 14 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2A1