George Riley Robertson II

George R. “Dick” Robertson II, 87, a resident of Albuquerque, passed away on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. 

George sailed his way to the finish line to be reunited with his parents, three wives, siblings: Jean, Bill, Sharon, two nephews and many cousins.

He is survived by his three children: David, Lucy, George, two grandchildren, a nephew and six nieces. A sincere Thank You to Selena and her children for their loving care for George and his third wife, Mary.

He was born in Santa Fe, NM to George and Alice Robertson. He was Valedictorian at Springer High School, attended MIT in Boston and joined the US Army to travel the world. His 20 years of military service had him stationed in Guam, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Okinawa, Philippines, and several bases in the US.  His favorite part of the military was being a paratrooper in the Army Special Forces and during one furlough in Japan, he climbed Mt. Fuji. After retiring from the Army, he worked at Digital Equipment Corp and Rio Grande Jewelry Supply.

George was known for his analytical mind, his sense of humor and his passion for aviation, sailing and cars.  These passions he shared with his children and encouraged them to fly, sail and make sure they at least knew how to change a flat tire.  While he was the great logical thinker, he never made others feel less than. He’d say, “Your best is always good enough.”  He wanted to be a pilot but couldn’t be due to his eyesight. To still be involved in aviation, he worked at an airport during high school and built & flew model RC airplanes well into his retirement years.  George once joined a crew that sailed a schooner from Australia to Manila to smuggle beer.  Upon learning that the authorities were waiting to arrest them when they arrived in Manila, the crew decided to circle around in the ocean and drink all the beer.  George was a lifelong auto mechanic.  At 16, the first car he repaired was a Ford Model T and at 60, he fulfilled his need for speed at Richard Petty’s Driving School at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and raced 80 laps at 150 mph outpacing his classmates’ lap speeds – they were half his age and couldn’t keep up.

George requested no services be held.  His ashes will be interred at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.

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