Normandy Park City Manager Doug Shulze has announced that Sunday afternoon former mayor George Hadley passed away at his home in Normandy Park.
Plans are being made for a memorial service to be held at The Cove in Normandy Park. Details regarding the memorial service will be forwarded as soon as they are finalized, according to Shulze.
On March 8, Mr. Hadley announced his resignation from the council to undergo treatment for cancer.
Mr. Hadley was diagnosed in January with Glioblastoma Multiforme, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.
“We refer to him as 'Green George,'” Shulze said. He said the nickname came from a council retreat they had in 2007 where each member took a personality trait test. Personality traits were assigned different colors.
Shulze said Mr. Hadley was the only one on the council who was green, which describes his personality as analytical, detail oriented and needing all of the information before making a decision.
“He was the one on the council who really rolled up his sleeves and got down to the details,” Shulze said. “He added a perspective to the council that was different from all of the others.”
Mr. Hadley began serving on the city council in 2004. Before that, Mr. Hadley was on Normandy Park's Board of Adjustment.
On the council, he served as mayor Pro-Tem from 2006-2009, before being elected mayor in 2010.
In December 2010, Mr. Hadley received an Advanced Certificate of Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). To earn this certificate he completed over 60 hours of training credits and demonstrated valuable service to his community.
Mr. Hadley graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with an SB Degree in mathematics in 1965. He also attended the University of Stuttgart, in Germany, from 1973-1975.
He retired from Boeing in 1998 and became an active member in the community, volunteering not only in Normandy Park but also in the surrounding area.
Mr. Hadley lived with his wife Nancy in Normandy Park for almost 30 years.