George Baertlein was born to Edward (Bart) and Patricia (Patty) Baertlein in Spokane, WA. He grew up in Hillyard with his older sister Mary and his younger brother Ely where the family attended St Patrick’s Catholic Church. A very mellow, mild mannered child, he easily made many friends in the neighborhood, and while attending St. Patrick Catholic Grade School, Gonzaga Prep (‘76), and Gonzaga University where he earned his BA in Business.

Growing up he liked to ice skate and play hockey on a makeshift ice rink at the Kiefel house, play games and sports with the neighborhood kids, and to go winter camping and sledding. This made him a natural for cub scouts and he began his scouting career at about 6 years of age and steadily rose through the ranks to earn his Eagle Scout Award. Scouting afforded George the opportunity to be outdoors camping and hiking with his lifelong friends Mike Bacon, Gus Contabile, Frank Millward, and Mark Spender, just to name a few. He valued his time in scouting and stepped up to help insure other boys would have similar opportunities by serving as Assistant Scout Master as well as Scout Master for Troop 258, before stepping down to become an advisor, a position he held until the end.

George ran Bart’s Cycle with his brother Ely during high school, and then alone during college. Unfortunately, a brain tumor rendered George blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other. After his rehabilitation from brain surgery, George attended the Orientation Training Center for the blind in Seattle, Wa, where he met his dear friend John Miller. While this taught him many necessary skills to live as a blind person, running the bike shop alone was impossible, and in spite of the best efforts of his friends Dave Buckmaster and John Kiefel, Bart’s Cycle closed. A true entrepreneur, George did not let his disability stop him. He ran several successful businesses, including Excel Longdistance and Xxango, and managed the rental of the old Bart’s Cycle building.

George lived with his mother (Patty) in his childhood home where they took excellent care of each other, as well as his nephews and niece. He loved to babysit his niece and nephews, and often had stories about the funny things that they did while in his care. To say he was a proud uncle would be an understatement. As Patty aged and her health declined, George stepped up to be her full time caretaker and kept her in her home for the remainder of her life. Our family will always be grateful for the loving care he gave her while she waited to join her loved ones in heaven.

George was a true sports enthusiast! He loved to bowl, and was very good at it, even after his brain surgery. He spent many years on a bowling league at Lilac Lanes, where he enjoyed the camaraderie and competition of the sport. He was also a HUGE fan of our Washington teams, especially the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, and of course Gonzaga University Basketball. If any of his teams were playing, you could find him beside a radio or in front of his big screen tv, often with friends and family, cheering his teams to victory.

George had a strong faith and lived a life of conviction and grace. He was a life long member of St Patrick’s Catholic Church, and was active on the church council, and the Knights of Columbus, where he made many friends. The family would like to thank all of the people who helped George to live an active, comfortable life, especially these last few months when things were getting hard for him. We appreciate all that you did for him to help him maintain his independence and quality of life. He loved you all!

George passed away peacefully in his home on August 20, 2026, at the age of 68. He was preceded in death by his father, Edward, and mother, Patricia. George will be missed by many, but especially by his sister Mary Lyonnais (Rick); brother Ely Baertlein (Dawn); nieces and nephews (Irah, Ed, Nichole, Sean, Mackenzie, and Caleigh); and great nieces and nephews (Audrey, Giovanna, Dominique, and Stella), who must all carry on without him. Arrangements are made through Holy Cross Funeral and Cemetery Services and include: Public viewing at Holy Cross Funeral Home September 29th, 1-4:30 pm; Rosary at St Bernadette’s Catholic Church October 1st, 7 pm; Funeral Mass at St Bernadette’s Catholic Church October 2nd, 10:00 am, followed by Interment at Holy Cross Cemetery at Noon. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Catholic Charities of Spokane or 2nd Harvest Food Bank.