George Lanning could have told you. Before he passed away in 2022, he made a very generous donation to OUUC and then he also left a planned gift in his will. His gifts kickstarted the very successful capital campaign completed last year – we were over halfway to the goal of $544,500 before we even started!
Many in the congregation still remember George. But really, he shouldn’t be forgotten by any of us. During an especially cold winter, major components of our HVAC system failed. Due to his generosity, we were able to replace the failed gas furnaces with energy efficient electric heat pumps. To help remind us of that generosity, there is a plaque in the sanctuary dedicated to George….right next to the thermostat.
George passed away a week before his 90th birthday in 2022 and left a legacy in many, many ways. He was born in McCleary, Washington, and went on to graduate from UW. He was a husband and father, an inventor, a ham radio operator, patent-holder, musician, cribbage player extraordinaire, teller of good jokes and well-known dispenser of hugs. He loved technology and was an early adopter of EVs – he drove his flashy red Tesla to church on Sundays.
George joined the congregation after moving back home to the Pacific Northwest. He served the congregation during his life, and after it too. He made a difference at OUUC as past president of the board, sound system operator, and as the unofficial construction supervisor while the “new church” was under construction at our current location. He continues to make a difference today.
If you would like to learn more about legacy or planned giving,, please contact Pam Toal, Chair, OUUC’s Legacy Giving Committee. If you have already included OUUC as a part of your estate plan, please let the office know by sending an email to officemanager@ouuc.org, or filling out the form here: Legacy Giving Form.
This article is part of OUUC’s “Make a Legacy” series to raise awareness about how we can all make a legacy gift, no matter the size, to help sustain OUUC projects and operations, aligning with its mission of advancing social justice and community well-being
