George Edmund Heard, 77, of Laramie, died at his home March 13, 2018. He was born May 4, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois to George G. and Margaret (Donnelly) Heard. When he was four years old, his family relocated to Hereford, Texas where he spent his childhood helping out in the potato fields, milking cows and raising pigs. When he was 17, his father accepted a job helping develop the oil resources in Iraq and the family moved to Bagdad. After traveling throughout the Middle East and Europe, he enrolled in Texas Technical University where he graduated in 1961 with a degree in chemical engineering. After working for Phillips Petroleum, Hawkeye Chemical Company and Rohm and Haas, he enrolled in the University of Texas, Austin, where he earned an MBA. George began working at Coors in February of 1973 as process control manager of the can plant. It didn’t take them long to realize George was a great manager and would be a huge asset to the company. In the fall of 1974 he became the Director of Paper Packaging and a year later moved to the Brewery, where he learned the brewing process, and managed the Quality Control group. He did many things during his time at Coors, made many great friends along the way and loved every minute of it. When he retired after 20+ years he was a Senior Vice President of Engineering and Construction.
He and his family moved to Laramie in 1995. He loved Wyoming’s open spaces, wind-swept prairies and beautiful scenery. He enjoyed anything mechanical, especially tinkering with old cars. He was on the Weed and Pest Board of Albany County and the HOA president of their townhome in Lakewood, Colorado-both of which he loved. He was much admired by all who knew him and will be remembered for his generosity, his colorful personality and his deep belly laugh.
He is survived by his wife, AnnaMaria; daughters Natasha Heard-Hernandez (David) of Arvada, CO and Christina Heard (Jason) of Wheat Ridge, CO; stepson, Louis Rosas of Tucson, AZ; four grandchildren, Kristen Rosas, Kylie Hernandez, Cohen Hernandez and Violet Heard. George is also survived by his sisters Martha Heard, Jane Wichmann and Leslie Wood and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. His parents, uncles and aunts preceded him in death.
There will be a Celebration of Life, Saturday, March 24 from 2-6pm at the VFW 15625 W. 10th Avenue, Golden, Colorado 80401. All are welcome. A full buffet will be served, and bring your memories and stories of George to share. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wyoming Public Media, Wyoming Public Television or Peak Wellness Center, Laramie, Wyoming.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Anna & family, We were so sorry to learn of George's recent passing and wanted you to know we were thinking of you at this time. Even though we didn't get connected, we have always appreciated your being such good neighbors. Joe & Lynn Benson
We want to express our heartfelt condolences to all of “George’s” family and friends. Even though only a short time has passed since your loss, comforting words will continue to keep you strong in the days, months, and years to come. May our Creator, "... the God of all comfort " be with you during your sad days and give you the strength to cope with your thoughts. Please copy and paste the video below and in the disquieting days ahead, take a look at it. This explains the condition of our dead loved ones and the hope of our reunion, something we’re all looking forward too. https://www.jw.org/en/publications/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODMinistryTeachings/docid-502017858_1_VIDEO
George You , will be missed ,When he first started at Coors , He became our leader in the Process Control group. He made a huge positive impact on us. He had faith in me , he promoted me and always gave us his support. He allowed each person to prosper , championed our ideas including the ones that if I remember correctly received a patent under the Coors name. I will always remember the times we "visited" Thanks George for many great memories. Now the heavens will hear that Laugh ! Thank you to his family for sharing and getting this out to all of us. Pat Foley
George was a great board member for Albany County Weed and Pest. He had a great business sense and provided a lot of knowledge on just about everything. The best part about George was his personality. He was always a total pleasure to be around and made our board meetings fun. We will miss his laugh and his insight. Thank you George for all the memories.
George was an unforgettable man who was a dear friend to my family for years. I’m so thankful that Anna and him chose to move into that house on McIntyre St. so many years ago. A choice that impacted my whole life by filling it with memories of the Heard family and mine... enjoying good times, laughs and always Coors beer. He will always hold a place in my life as one of those people you look up to and respect. George’s opinion was always valued and you knew it got to the point. A simple and intelligent man with an infectious laugh will always be what I think of. You are irreplaceable and will be forever missed. My deepest condolences to his family. I’m sure he is having a beer with my Dad up there and filling heaven with his laughter.
Roger Kuhl I worked for George at Coors.My sympathy to his family. This man was respected by everyone.He was technically competent but more importantly he cared about the people that worked for him. He took the time to support and develop his staff.
I worked with George for many years at Coors. He had great leadership and his employees loved him. He had a great sense of humor and it was evident that he loved people. He was the best boss I ever had. He will be missed by many and I will never forget his big laugh. Sincere sympathy to the Heard family.
The staff of Wyoming Public Media send condolences in the death of George Heard to Anna Maria and her family. He left a posi9tive mark on the Laramie community and he will be missed by many. We gratefully acknowledge George's request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to WPM. We certainly appreciate our members who want to continue support our stations after their death. C. Elrod, Broadcast Assistant
George is one of those people one never forgets. Beyond being a trusted leader, he was very pragmatic and insightful. He had a very quick mind. His sense of humor was wonderful.. He related well to everyone he touched -tradesmen, production workers, engineers, managers and peers. I visited him in Larimie some years back and felt he was thoroughly in love with the area. I will miss him.
Our sincere condolences to you all. Deryl and Sue Woirhaye
I worked for George for many years and we quickly became trusted friends. We solved many problems together and shared a lot of laughs too. I will miss him. With fond memories of a good friend, Jay Martine
George was an outstanding Vice President over Coors Engineering & Construction teams! He held monthly staff meetings with all departments under him and always had great and funny stories to tell. He had the greatest sense of humor and his belly laugh was second to NO ONE! He trusted his employees 100% and made sure that people had the proper tools and support they needed to be successful. Thanks to George's extended family for sharing this great person with all of us at Coors!