George A. Vannah

George A. Vannah of Auburn, 85, quietly passed away at home, in a comfortable chair, book in hand, on Monday, June 6. He was born in Boston on November 28, 1936, the son of George A. Vannah Sr. and Marie (Bennett) Vannah. His early years were spent in his beloved, pine-studded seaside hometown of Cushing, Maine.

A high school graduate of the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania, George went on to collect a Grand Slam of scholastic degrees - a 1958 BA from Bowdoin College, a master's from Trinity College, his PhD from UMass and a law degree from UConn. Before eventually becoming the head law clerk for the United States Bankruptcy Court in Manchester, NH, for many years George taught Modern European history in private schools, including the Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut. Known far and wide for his great sense of humor and clever wit, he really connected with his students, who called him by his first name.

In addition to a voracious appetite for reading books of all sorts, George loved to travel and, after a trip to Munich in 1999, enrolled in a German class and mastered both the written and read language, while honing his German-speaking skills with his classmates, of whom he often spoke fondly. He will surely be missed by his Wednesday night Zoom group.

George is preceded in death by his wife of 30 years, Andrea D. Vannah. He is survived by his son Tom Vannah, daughter-in-law Betsy Strickland, and granddaughter, Charlotte Strickland-Vannah of Whately, MA; daughter Liz Vannah of Cushing, ME; and his stepdaughter Veronica Deere of West Hartford, CT.

The family will celebrate George's life in a private setting. Please sign the guestbook at https://www.lambertfuneralhome.com or feel free to send your thoughts to George's family at semmelknoedel2@gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the American Red Cross.