George Wilson Stevens

Published 11:30 am Tuesday, September 23, 2014

George Wilson Stevens, age 75, died Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014, at River Region Medical Center in Vicksburg.

Mr. Stevens was born Oct. 22, 1938, in Vicksburg. He was married to the former Carol Fay Scott of Vicksburg. They have two sons, Michael Ray and Mark Anthony Stevens, both of Vicksburg; three grandchildren, Taylor, Erik, and Ella; a brother, Henry Allen Stevens of Vicksburg; and three sisters, Grace Stevens Lynn, Lundy Stevens Marshall and Carolyn Stevens Dedmon, all of Vicksburg.

George grew into the towing business through his father’s towing company. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1958, where he was involved with towing and recovery in a heavy tank battalion, George returned home to continue his career with heavy trucking as a fleet superintendent with a truck line.

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In 1978, he opened his own towing and recovery business, which still operates today. Stevens Service Center Inc. is the largest independent automotive and truck repair facility in Vicksburg.

George was a national master certified tower. He has served as president for the Mississippi Towing and Recovery Association (TRAA) intermittently from 1985 until 2013, and was the TRAA district director for the State of Mississippi from 1985 to the present.

In 1986, he was awarded the Citizenship Award from TRAA, which was presented at the national show in Fort Worth, Texas. He served as fourth vice president of TRAA from 1988-1989. George continued as third vice president of TRAA from 1989 to 1990. In 1990 he was awarded Distinguished Service Award from TRAA.

On Nov. 30, 1990, he was elected, and inducted on June 14, 1991, as the president of TRAA serving from 1991 to 1993. He has also served as chairman of the Awards Committee and Charity Committee of TRAA.

In 1991, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for International Towing and Recovery. At the time of his death, George had just returned from the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn.

George was a Master Mason since 1965, served as master for Stevens Lodge No. 121 in 1970 and also served as a Shriner.

On a trip to Hawaii in 1990 to attend a TRAA convention, George and his good friend Denny Jones, who was also a fellow tower, went on a fishing excursion with hopes of each catching a 300-pound marlin to mount on their office walls.  Little did either one know on that particular day that George would make history.

George caught a blue marlin, which ended up tipping the scales at 1,400 pounds.

As word spread of the monster marlin, a television crew was sent to the docks to interview George and Denny regarding the unbelievable record-breaking marlin and a story was written about the fishing trip in the Tow Times in February 1991. Needless to say, it was a story that George was always willing to share with anyone who asked.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014, at Cross Point Church with the Rev. LaDon Dawson officiating.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Glenwood Funeral Home and from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Richard Woods, Ken Moody, Todd Hoben, George Spratley, Jim Davidson, Paul Flaharty, Kendall Stevens and Greg Shorter.  Honorary pallbearers will be Bobby Owens, Robbie Stauts, Ed Beulow, Bobby Raines, Wallace Goza, Bob Hollingsworth, Eddie Woods Sr. and Randy Turcotte.

The family requests that memorials be made to the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn.