Former Normandy Park Mayor George Hadley passed away in his home on May 8.

Mr. Hadley was diagnosed in January with Glioblastoma Multiforme, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. He resigned from the council at the beginning of March, when his illness progressed to a point where he could no longer remain on the council.

A memorial service will be held for him on June 12 at The Normandy Park Cove at 2 p.m.
On April 27, council members held a special meeting at Mr. Hadley's home, presenting him with a plaque for his service in Normandy Park. Mr. Hadley was also presented with a plaque from the Suburban City's Association. He was very active in the organization.

Normandy Park Mayor Pro-Tem Clarke Bryant said he met Mr. Hadley at an over 50-soccer league. Clarke said it was Mr. Hadley who talked him into applying for a vacant seat.

Clarke described Mr. Hadley as being very detail oriented. "He liked to read all of the paperwork very closely," Clarke said. "He wanted to make sure the paperwork that left the city was proper."

Mr. Hadley began serving on the city council in 2004. Before that, he 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.

Anyone who worked with him as a council member remembers him for his emergency preparedness. Des Moines Council Member Dan Sherman described him as Mr. Emergency Preparedness.

Clarke and Normandy Park City Manager Doug Shulze said his greatest legacy to the city is his efforts in emergency preparedness.

"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 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 30 years.