George G. May

George Gary May, 63, passed away from natural causes caused by advanced hepatic disease in Yakima, Washington on April 14, 2021. George was born March 1st, 1958 in Seoul, South Korea and came to live in Washington state for college after graduating from Seoul American High School in 1976.  His passion for hiking, mountain biking and photography served him well as he settled in Ellensburg, Wa and he became an advanced bike mechanic at the Recycle Shop from the 1980's through the '90's. His other hobbies included bowling, attending as many rock concerts as possible and most recently, axe throwing.

His love for photography came from his father, Robert May and the brownie camera he was given as a child that hung around his neck for many years. He took pictures for his high school newspaper, the Stars and Stripes and that transpired into a career as a graphic design teacher after graduating from Perry Technical Institute in Yakima, Wa in 1999. He eventually made the move down to Yakima and began working for the Yakima Herald newspaper after 9 years of teaching and worked his way up to production manager which he did until his death.

Kind, caring and selfless are just a few of the words people have used to describe George. He was a dedicated son and traveled to Korea multiple times a year to take care of his family. As social media became popular, he shared his travels with his many friends all over the world and was able to reconnect with many people he had lost touch with from his SAHS days. He had also become a volunteer and foster for Yakima Valley Pet Rescue which started with 3 litters of kittens that were born behind his house and evolved into a lifelong passion for helping those who could not help themselves.

He is survived by his mother, Soon Hi, daughter Amber, grandson Jack and many, many relatives around the US and Korea.  George was predeceased by his father, Robert May, brothers Gary and Werner and sister Terri.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Yakima Valley Pet Rescue or your local nonprofit animal rescue in his honor.

Given that it is a difficult time to travel and congregate, we will post videos and links to any virtual gatherings here soon.