George Correll | March 24, 1958 – February 9, 2026

George Robert Correll was a carpenter, and a handyman, and a beloved husband, neighbor, father, grandfather, and friend. He had his hands in work building and fixing all over this island. He was a perfectionist — if the cuts weren’t right, he would redo it. That’s just how he was. He took pride in his work.

George was a very happy person, and always had a smile ready. He was very polite and kind and would do anything for anybody. He was an optimistic person, grateful for what life had given him.

George was also very private. He kept to himself a lot. When he was younger, he liked to go on fishing trips. He would go up to Sekiu and Lake Cushman. He loved the Northwest.

He first came to Vashon in 1980 on a visit out from Chicago, and was here when he watched Mount St. Helens erupt. He was awestruck and decided right then that he wanted to stay here and build a new life.

In January 1999, George met Melanie at Bishop’s Pub and they fell in love. They got married on September 12, 2009, and Melanie remembers that he was late to his own wedding, even though it was at their house. He was often late to things; she never was. But they enjoyed 27 years together. He was a good husband and a good friend.

For a time, George was the harbor master at Quartermaster Marina; he loved boats. He worked at K2 for a while. He also went to school for electrical engineering and diesel mechanics. He was a good plumber. He was good at a lot of stuff. But his favorite thing was when he and Melanie had their boat called the Loose Moose.

They used to go out to Fox Island and Blake Island on it, and spend the night. They would go up to Bellingham or over to Gig Harbor and camp out on the dock. They had a lot of fun on that boat.

In his older years, George loved his grandkids, his work and his old van, and he loved to garden. He loved his radishes and Walla Walla onions. He and Melanie would sit out in the back and just talk, about life and their life together.

The Seahawks were his team, and he got to see them win the Superbowl the day before he died. While George was in the hospital, both of their two cats passed away, within a week of each other. A week later, George died. He loved the cats, and Melanie is sure he took those two cats with him. He just couldn’t go by himself.

He is survived by his wife, Melanie Correll; his kids, Aaron Correll, Monique Berger, Ashley Heckathorn, and Sunshine Schaler; and his grandkids, Angelica, Calvin, Alexander, Christian, and Tristan.

Rest in peace, my love.

Funeral service will take place at Vashon Community Church at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. A potluck reception at the church will follow. God bless you all.