George Marion Ware, 88, passed away on February 16, 2022.  Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, was the son of the late Robert Owen Ware and Polly Grissett Ware. He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Martha Jane Ware; their two children, Amanda Panchyshyn (Mike) and George M. Ware (Rhonda); three grandchildren, Erika Cartledge, Charlotte Ware, and Ryan Simeon; and four great grandchildren, Evan Trantham, Mackenzie Trantham, Cameron Cartledge, and Jayden Cartledge.

George attended Lynchburg Public Schools and graduated from E. C. Glass High School, in 1951. He earned his Associates Degree in Arts from The College of William and Mary. George was accepted into the NACA Co-OP program and worked his way through college earning a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering.  He became a full-time employee at NASA after graduating in the spring of 1958; and continued working there until his retirement in 1995.

During his years of service at NASA some of his most notable contributions were for the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. Of the many awards he received, he was the proudest of the "Silver Snoopy Award", for working on safety systems for astronauts. It was presented to him by Astronauts Robert Crippen and John Young, from the space shuttle Columbia, the first shuttle to reach space on April 12, 1981.

George and Martha were married on Saturday, July 12, 1958, after graduating college. They moved to Hampton to settle in at work and married life. To expand on their love of family they adopted their first, and favorite child, Amanda, and a few years later, their son Matthew.

They joined the congregation of First United Methodist Church of Hampton, where they have been members ever since. George served in several administrative roles, was a member of the men's group, as well as a Sunday school teacher.

While retired, George became a member of lifelong learning program at CNU and helped with forming the Tuesday morning painters' group.  His art has been and is displayed in the Hampton Convention Center Hall of Art. He was a member of the Hampton Arts Commission and received the Alli Award in 2010 for organizing painting groups for retirement communities.

Along came grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they brought him great joy. George made many lasting memories with them by playing with dolls, Legos, board games, and dinosaurs.  George lived a full and wonderful life. He always had a smile on his face. His kindness touched many people. He loved to tell stories and we all loved to listen. George always put his family first, as a loving husband, caring father, playful Grandfather, Pipaw, and Great-grandfather. He will be missed by all his family and friends.

A Memorial Service will be conducted at 2 PM, Thursday, March 3, 2022 at First United Methodist Church of Hampton, 110 E. Queen Street, Hampton, VA.  The family will receive visitors after the service.