George Ditmar Wegh

George Ditmar Wegh, 73, passed away on Aug. 18, 2015, following a lengthy illness. He was born in Oravita, Romania, in 1942, to Alfred and Eugenia Wegh, the youngest of six children. Global events shaped his early life, first with the occupying forces of Nazi Germany, followed by the Soviet tanks which rolled into his town. His family's business was socialized and times were hard under the communist regime with barely enough food to go around. As an apprentice tailor, he dreamt of a better life and, at the tender age of 17, George hatched a plan to escape across the border. Risking his life he crawled, swam and ran through obstacles and past guards with guns and dogs. From Yugoslavia he escaped again to Italy, from which he sailed to Canada. In British Columbia he met and married Alice Jakobsen, according to their kids one of the best decisions of his life. Together they moved to California and started a family. Due to the political situation, he was never able to return to Romania until two years before his death. In Santa Barbara, Calif., he was recruited by Charlie Brewster to work as a manager at the longtime Anchorage fixture, Brewsters Department Store, so the family packed up and moved to Alaska. George thrived in the retail business and even opened his own western wear store in Norman, Okla., though eventually returning to Anchorage. He was a very hard worker and supported his family well even when it meant missing out on fun. He was an enthusiastic outdoorsman, taking the family on many camping and fishing trips. He hunted for moose and ducks and even shot a bear once. He was an avid beekeeper for many years. He was a great talker and enjoyed telling stories, often launching into a tall tale if the listener was gullible enough. He liked to keep people on their toes and was not beyond pushing a few buttons given the chance, but always in good humor. He loved to tell jokes: they didn't even have to be funny. He was a great host always inviting people over for a meal, party or any other occasion. He also loved to read and hatched numerous theories of which he would doggedly try to convince anyone he could reach. George lived a colorful and adventurous life. He was loved and will be missed greatly by family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Alice Wegh; son, Dan Wegh of Colorado (daughter-in-law, LeAnna); daughter, Wendy Gordon of California (son-in-law, Randall); daughter, Michele Beech of California (son-in-law, David); grandchildren, Ari Hernandez, Daniel Wegh and Riley, Teia and Zoe Beech; sister-in-law, Aneliese Wegh of Ontario, Canada; and niece, Alida of Timisoara, Romania and her daughters, Luanna and Andreea. A Celebration of Life will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, at Trailside Community Church, 5150 Abbott Road in Anchorage. All family and friends are welcome.