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Dr. George Sweeney (July 7, 2012) |
LIBERTY — For the first time in over 100 years, Casey County is without a Dr. Sweeney. Dr. George William Sweeney passed away July 6 at his home in Liberty. He was 90 years old.
Dr. George was born on April 23, 1922, at the same address where he lived until his death. George was married to Mollie Kathryn Popplewell Sweeney for 42 years. She died in 1989.
He was the youngest child of William Jasper and Edna Jones Sweeney. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles Jasper and Dr. Garnett Jones Sweeney; two sisters, Lucy Sweeney Wash and Ruth Sweeney Wesley; and a grandson, Jason Oliver Coffey.
A precocious child and an athletic teen, George never shied away from hard work on the small family farm. He graduated from Liberty High School and went on to attend the University of Kentucky. In 1942, after two years of college, George enlisted in theU.S. Navy. He served in the north Atlantic on the U.S.S. Bogue and ended his war service in the South Pacific.
In 1944, George married his childhood sweetheart Mollie, and they returned to Lexington where he finished his undergraduate studies. In 1947, they moved to Louisville where he completed his Doctor of Medicine degree and his residency.
In 1951, they returned to Liberty where he joined his brother in the medical practice their late father had started. George and Mollie had four children who survive, Suzanne (Mickey) LaFavers, Steve (Rita Godbey) Sweeney, Lydia (Jim) Coffey and Sally (Ronnie) Davis. Also surviving are eight grandchildren, Lisa LaFavers Combs, Mike Sweeney LaFavers, Lara Sweeney Johnson, Beth Sweeney Kress, Katy Sweeney Wilson, Luke William Davis, Matt Winston Davis and Meredith Kathryn Coffey. He also leaves behind 12 great-grandchildren, Zack and Kathryn Combs, Mollie, Madelyn and Will LaFavers, Elizabeth, Henry and Mollie Johnson, Lucy and Jack Wilson, George and Annie Davis and soon-to-be No. 13, Baby Davis. He is also survived by his brother-in-law and best friend, Paul Wesley.
Dr. George said his greatest accomplishment was graduating from medical school. He practiced with his brother Garnett and Dr. Lewis Wesley until Dr. Wesley’s death. Dr. Garnett and Dr. George retired from their practice in 1996.
He will be remembered for being a compassionate doctor, a caring person who quietly served his community and a humble man who lived simply and loved much. He will be greatly missed.
Dr. George was a lifetime member of First Christian Church where he will be remembered with an informal memorial service today. The family will receive visitors at the church from 3 p.m. until the time of the service which will begin at 6 p.m. A private burial will take place at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, Dr. George would be pleased to have donations to First Christian Church, P.O. Box 8, Liberty, Ky. 42539 or Hospice Lake Cumberland, 100 Parkway Drive, Somerset, Ky. 42502.
