George Henry Canevit

Page was last updated on June 21, 2001

George Henry Canevit, Sr., was the second son of Winey Canevit and Iona Rambo, and the brother of my grandfather, Harold Canevit. He kept busy throughout his years and made many extraordinary accomplishments.

George was born on January 28, 1925 in Canton, Fulton County, Illinois. He served for 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was also a survivor of the first wave that landed on the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific [1].

To appreciate the significance of surviving Guadalcanal, consider what happened during that battle, which began on August 7, 1942. The marine who waded ashore at Guadalcanal had to face the suicidal resistance of the Japanese soldiers who were entrenched there. The marine also had to face rampant malaria, dysentery, fungus, as well as many other tropical diseases. All the while, the troops on Guadalcanal were stalemated for three months until Admiral William Halsey's fleet destroyed the Japanese ships in the area, thereby isolating the Japanese troops left. Once the Japanese ships were destroyed, it still took another three months before the Japanese were driven off the island. Over 25,000 troops were killed during the battle. General Douglas MacArthur once commented about the troops who had to fight in the Pacific Theater: "(they) looked older than their fathers, dirty, unshaven, with gaunt, almost sightless eyes; they had survived the ordeal but it had chilled their souls." The seizure for Guadalcanal ended on February 9, 1943 [2].

George retired from the Marines Corps at the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant. Later, he became a pioneer in application-based computer processing. In fact, he facilitated the development of direct deposit, closed loop inventory control, multiple allocation payroll systems, and many more [1].

As if that was not enough, George was also active in many other activities. He was a charter member of the Retired Senior Voluntary Police (RSVP), as well as a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Marine Corps League, the Optimists Club, and St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Barstow, California [1].

George Henry Canevit, Sr., passed away on March 17, 2000 after a long illness. He lived a well-accomplished life, and he will always be missed.

Children of George Henry Canevit Canevit, Sr. and Mary Frances Alexander

	George "Skip" Henry Canevit, Jr. - Married Kimberly Henson Lister. They had three children: Rachel D. Canevit; Hannah Ruth Canevit; and George Thomas Canevit. Skip divorced, and later re-married to Linda Miezitis. They had one child: Rebekah Ann Canevit.
	Michael Edward Canevit - Married Debra Kay Endres (who has been a great help with my research!). They had two children: Paul Michael Canevit and Megan Pearl Canevit.
	Renee Mechella Canevit - Married Mike Garcia (RIP). They had one child: Renee Elizabeth Garcia. Renee later re-married to Chris Hughes. They had two children: Robbie Hughes and Chris Hughes.

Sources Cited

[1] E-mail correspondence from Skip Canevit, dated April 17, 2000.

[2] Boyer, P., Clark, C., Kett, J., Salisbury, N., Sitkoff, H., Woloch, N. (1996). The Enduring Vision, (3rd ed.). D.C. Heath and Company: Lexington, MA.

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