George E. Taft, 81, of Essex Jct, died peacefully on Dec. 22, 2023, at the McClure Miller Respite House after a several month's long struggle with cancer.

The son of Chester M. and Mary J. Taft, George was born on January 27, 1942, in Colchester's Fanny Allen Hospital. His youth was spent in Brandon and Essex Jct., where he roamed the woods and fields of those then small towns and developed a love of outdoor sports which continued into his fly-fishing outings in old age.

George was educated in Essex Jct., Phillips Exeter Academy, Dartmouth College, and Brooklyn Law School, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1971. He was on active duty with the US Navy from 1966-1968, serving in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and was honorably discharged in 1971. In the '60s and early '70s George lived in New York's West Village and Brooklyn Heights during interesting and bohemian times, and worked for a law firm and a title company primarily in real estate matters. George was admitted to the bar in New York, Vermont, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. After returning to Vermont in1973, he worked for a time with the Chittenden Trust Company before turning to private general practice, concentrating in real estate, trusts, and family matters.

George loved his hunting and fishing and traveled throughout the northern U.S. and in Canada in pursuit of both. He also enjoyed the role of Santa Claus performing for Mary Jo's family and others, and following the athletic endeavors of his nieces and nephew. He also continued to work part time into early 2023.

George was predeceased by his parents, his life companion Mary Jo Mahoney, his brother James and sister Deb and her husband Walter Swarkowski.

He is survived by his brother Dave of South Burlington, and his brother Jeff and wife Marilee of Essex Jct., their children Brooke Taft Robbins and her ex-husband Rick, and Heather Taft Garrow and her husband RJ, and nieces Ryleigh Taft Garrow and Abigail Taft Robbins and nephew Tanner Jeffery Robbins, as well as special friend Ellen Mahoney.

The Taft family wishes to thank the staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center and the McClure Miller Respite House for the outstanding care and comfort offered to George.

A service for George will be held in the spring or early summer.

Those wishing to honor George's memory might consider a donation to the McClure Miller Respite House or a cancer research organization of their choice.