George Gurjanow
George Gurjanow, 73, of Bertram died Oct. 28, 2011, after an extended illness. He was born in Zaparosa, Ukraine, on July 31, 1938.
As a young boy, his father Anatoli was taken away to Siberia, never to be seen again. In 1942, he and his mother Sonia were taken to a detention camp in Bresloff, Germany. After World War II ended, he moved to Mannheim, Germany, and then in October 1952, came to the United States to Buffalo, N.Y.
After graduating from high school, he served four years in the Navy and on different occasions was a Russian interpreter. After an honorable discharge, he joined the Milwaukee Police Department in Wisconsin. Again, he was called upon to assist with his knowledge of the Russian language.
In 1969, he married Raylene (Suz) Zylka. In 1993, after an honorable and interesting 33½ years of service with the police force, he retired. He and his wife moved to Burnet County, where they were active in the community until his recent illness.
For many years, he worked at Hoover Building Supply in Burnet, where he made many friends and enjoyed helping customers. He loved playing golf in the area, mainly at Packsaddle Country Club in Kingsland, where he and his wife were members. He enjoyed bowling, fishing and square dancing.
He also was a Master Mason and member of Valley Lodge No. 175 A.F. and A.M. in Burnet.
He loved living here, loved serving his country in the Navy and loved being an American.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by cousins Igor “Skip” Shukoff and Alex Shukoff, both of Rochester, N.Y.
He was preceded in death by his parents; stepfather Fedor; and daughter Tanya.
A memorial service and Masonic burial ceremony is 2 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home, 306 Texas 29 East in Burnet, (512) 756-2222. His ashes will be laid to rest at a later date.
Condolences may be offered at www.clementswilcoxburnet.com.