George Rayford Vavra

George Rayford Vavra, age 89, was born to Phil and Mary Francis Keeney Vavra on January 10, 1932 in North Hollywood, CA.

He dropped out of high school but went to work for one of his uncles who recognized that he needed to return to school. In 1953, he married Emily Jene Allen in Austin, TX. He eventually got a BS in Physics at the University of Texas in Austin. With an Army ROTC commission, he went on active duty in 1954 and served 28 years. He earned two Master's degrees at Texas A&M and Fort Leavenworth. He served tours in West Germany, Korea, Belgium, and South Vietnam where he was commanding officer of the 14th Engineer Combat Battalion. After Army retirement, he worked for Zia Corporation and Johnson Controls in Los Alamos, NM. His later years were spent on family cruises, fly fishing, serving as a docent at the Nuclear Museum, and enjoying the Sandia Poker Room.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years Emily and their children; Melinda Ann Vavra, Curtiss John Vavra and his partner, Keith Allen Flowers. The family would like to thank the staff of The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho.

A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, July 18, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. at The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho 900 Loma Colorado Blvd NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124

Memorial contributions may be made to The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, Albuquerque, New Mexico.