George Eugene Meisinger

George passed away at the age of 80 on March 12, 2019. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sandra Meisinger. George was preceded in death by his oldest son, James Meisinger, in 2017. He is survived by his daughter-in-law, Shannon Meisinger (wife of Jim), of Portland, OR; son Keith Meisinger and his wife, Ericka, of Plymouth, MN; daughter Michelle Holguin of Lake Forest, CA; and son Joe Meisinger and his wife, Kristin, of Parker, CO. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren: Steven, Sarah (husband Joe Baldwin), John, Luke, Gracie, Allie, Michael, Jonathan, Matthew, Madeline, Hannah, and Hayden.

George’s earthly vessel was interred on March 15, 2019, with close family and friends present. His memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at 11 am, at Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque. All are welcome.

George was born in Eugene, OR, on April 21, 1938, to parents George and Priscilla Meisinger. He was welcomed into the world by his older sister Pat, and was followed two years later by his younger brother, Terry. When George was three years old, his father passed away unexpectedly. His mother remarried a few years later to Jim Wiltsey, and later the family was joined by Jim’s grandson, Curt, who became George’s adopted brother.

For many years, George’s mother owned Wiltsey-Weathers, a successful music studio and store in Salem, OR, and passed her love of music on to her children. Growing up, George learned to play many instruments, including the accordion and vibraharp, and performed with his family. After high school he and his brother moved to Hollywood to try their luck in the music industry. He later went to Grand Canyon College in Arizona to study music, and after one year moved back to California to attend Biola College in La Mirada to continue his study of music. While at Biola, he heard professors from Dallas Theological Seminary speak and decided that he wanted to enter the ministry. That same year at Biola he also met a spunky freshman from Walnut Creek, CA, named Sandy Johnson. They quickly fell in love and George proposed after a month of dating. A year later they married, and after George graduated college they drove across the country to Dallas, TX. George enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary where he majored in Hebrew and Old Testament.

During the seminary years, George and Sandy welcomed sons Jim and Keith. After seminary graduation in 1968, George accepted his first pastorate in Minnetonka, MN. Within the next few years, they welcomed daughter Michelle and son Joseph. During his 17-year tenure at Woodland Hills Bible Church, George saw the church grow from a Bible study of a few families to a church building with several hundred congregants. George loved studying and preaching the Word, and many were hungry for his expository preaching of the Scripture. George, Sandy, and the kids have many lifelong friends from their time in Minnesota. George also made sure to take the family on road trips every summer to visit relatives and friends in other states.

In 1986, George accepted a pastorate in Huntington Beach, CA. The family moved across the country, but without their oldest son Jim as he was now attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. A year after arriving in CA, George founded Grace Church in Orange, CA. He presided over this church for 20 years, during which time his children married and blessed him and Sandy with 12 grandchildren. Also during his time at this church, he and some other pastors achieved their dream of founding Chafer Theological Seminary. The seminary ran for a few years in southern California, but after a while it became clear that the seminary students struggled with attending the seminary due to the high cost of living in CA. Chafer’s governing board scoured the country for a less expensive place for the seminary, and in 2007 George retired from pastoring and he and Sandy moved to Albuquerque, NM.

George and Sandy have enjoyed their years in Albuquerque. George taught classes at Hoffmantown Church for several years while also acting as President of Chafer Seminary. He continued studying and writing daily in his office, and loved to buy new technological gadgets to make his life easier. In the summer of 2013, George was diagnosed with cancer, which he lived with for the last six years of his life. In spite of the ups and downs of his disease, he was still active in studying, working, and writing a book about the life of King Saul. Through it all George and Sandy trusted in God’s goodness and sovereignty in all areas of their lives. George went home to be with the Lord on March 12, 2019. George and Sandy were married for 56 years.