George Courville's Obituary
George “Bud” Eugene Courville passed away on July 22, 2022 at the age of 89. He was born in Fargo, North Dakota to Alice Kjoslack Courville and Tony Courville. The family lived in several cities in the northwest seeking work, including Wheeler, MT when the Fort Peck Dam was being built. They ended up in Bozeman where Alice managed the Bobcat Café and the Cottage Café (now called the Western Café) where Bud and his brother slept in the back room and peeled potatoes for hours. He went to the Emerson School and graduated from Gallatin County High School (the Willson School) in 1951.
He joined the Navy after graduation and served on several ships during the Korean War (USS Randolph, USS Intrepid). After honorable discharge, he returned to Bozeman to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Montana State College (now MSU, class of ‘59). He earned extra money as a student worker helping build the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
He left Montana to go “back east” for a graduate degree with the intention to return, but he met Marjorie Grieser at a party in Pittsburgh, PA where she was a research assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. They married a year later and moved to New Jersey where he taught physics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and earned his PhD from The Stevens Institute of Technology. At FDU, he was tenured faculty and served as interim provost.
In 1977 George was asked to work for two years on energy efficiency projects for the newly established Department of Energy in Washington, DC. After returning to NJ, he decided he wanted to continue energy research, so the family moved again, this time to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He ultimately served as Associate Director of the Energy Division for 20 years, retiring in 2001.
George was always active. He enjoyed playing golf and basketball. In retirement he continued doing consulting work on energy efficiency and volunteered to help people fill out their tax returns.
George is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marjorie, his son George “Bud” Courville, two daughters Karen Torres and Katheryn Johnston, his cousin Julie Gibson, and five grandchildren: Jameson, Samuel, and Madeline “Molly” Courville, and Harrison “Hank” and Amelia “Mia” Torres.
He is preceded in death by his mother Alice Courville Jelley and her husband George “Kip” Jelley, his father Anthony “Tony” Courville, his brother Charles “Sonny” Courville and his grandson Nicholas George Torres.
In his last year, George experienced a great deal of pleasure from Unforgettable Tuesdays in Longview. A weekly social gathering for individuals with dementia. He loved how the volunteers and nursing students doted on him. It’s an amazing organization and we know that George would appreciate community support in lieu of flowers.”
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