Submitted by: Dan Rich

George Sidney Cressy, Sr.

May 22, 1917 - June 25, 1997

South Bend Tribune 6/28/1997

George S. Cressy, Sr., 80, died at 12:17 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25, in Saint Joseph Community Hospital, Mishawaka, Ind. He was born on May 22, 1917, in South Bend, Ind., to the late Sidney and Marie E. Pearson Cressy. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Jim Cressy, and by a sister, Evelyn Firth.

On February 17, 1942, in St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mishawaka, he married Angela Gerstbauer, who survives. Mr. Cressy is also survived by his seven children and their spouses, and twenty-two grandchildren. They are: son, Don and his wife Pat, and their children, Kiernan Cressy-Anzelc (Bill), Kim and Corey; daughter, Marcia Hammes and her husband Mike, and their children, Jenelle Sullivan (Dan), Claire and Michael; son, Ray and his wife Mary Lou, and their children, Jim, Anne, Marie and Mary Kate; daughter, Jennifer Deane and her husband Steve, and their children, Angela, Steven and Kyle; daughter, Maryclare Dunbar and her husband John, and their children, Lauren and Johnny; daughter, Susan Makielski and her husband David, and their children, David, Meryl and Joseph; and son, George and his wife Katy, and their children, George, III, Maggie, Josie and Sam. He is also survived by two sisters, Mary Louise Miller and Mildred Hill; and by a brother, Cliff Cressy.

Mr. Cressy co-founded Cressy and Everett Realtors in 1946 with Edward A. Everett, II. He also developed numerous community projects, including Winding Brook Park, and co-developed University Park Mall and University Center with his son Don. He was an active supporter of downtown revitalization and renewal projects.

Over the course of Mr. Cressy's career he was also selected by Governor Orr as the State of Indiana's Real Estate Commissioner for the Third Congressional District; was president of the South Bend/Mishawaka Board of Realtors; president of the South Bend/Mishawaka Multiple Listing Service; was selected as the first South Bend/Mishawaka Realtor of the Year; was a recipient of Tulane University's Special Citation for his many contributions to the Home Builders Professional Institute; was cited for Outstanding Services as District Vice-President for the Indiana Real Estate Association; was a Director for the Credit Bureau of South Bend; was cited for recognition of support and service to the American Cancer Society, St. Joseph Community Hospital, the Northern Indiana Historical Society, and the Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes; was a member of the Urban Land Institute; a member of the National Institute of Farm and Land Brokers; and was a member of the National Association of Home Builders.

Mr. Cressy was a graduate of South Bend Central High School, the University of Vermont, and the Officers Training School during World War II. He served as an officer and pilot in the Army Air Corps. An active church participant, Mr. Cressy also served in the Knights of Columbus, the Perpetual Adoration Society, and made a pilgrimage to Lourdes and Rome during the Holy Year. He was an active member of Sacred Heart Parish at the University of Notre Dame. The legacy for which Mr. Cressy will be most remembered was his limitless love for God, his family and friends, and for this community.

Friends may call from 2 to 7 p.m. today and from 2 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Hickey Funeral Home, 17131 Cleveland Road, South Bend. A Rosary service will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday by the Most Rev. Joseph R. Crowley in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame. Burial services will immediately follow at Saint Joseph Valley Memorial Park in Granger, Ind.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Montessori Academy's Classroom at the Center for the Homeless, 813 S. Michigan Street, South Bend; or to Home Management Services, 237 N. Michigan Street, South Bend; or to St. Joseph Community Hospital, Mishawaka.