Meta J George's Obituary
Meta J. George, 90, died April 30, 2026, at University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, with her daughters by her side.
Meta was born September 1, 1935, in Red Wing, Minnesota, to Harry and Ruth Barghusen. She graduated from Red Wing High School and went on to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She graduated in 1957 and taught English and Latin at New Brunswick High School in New Jersey. She also worked with Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Maryland.
While at Northwestern, she met Melvin George. The two were married August 17, 1958, and enjoyed nearly 58 years together until Mel’s death in 2016.
Mel joined the math faculty at the University of Missouri in 1960, and the couple made Columbia their home. There, they welcomed two daughters.
In 1970, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Mel served as the University’s Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for 5 years. They returned to Columbia when Mel was named Vice President for Academic Affairs at Mizzou. In 1985, Mel became the 8th President of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. They settled back in Columbia in 1999 following Mel’s retirement.
Meta strengthened communities wherever she went. She led initiatives and volunteered for a variety of organizations,including Meals on Wheels, Lutheran Family and Children’s Services, Prairie Creek Elementary School in Northfield, MN, and the Joseph Sittler Archives at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She especially enjoyed the years in Northfield, serving St. Olaf by offering hospitality to the college community, its friends and visitors, and by supporting students, staff, and faculty in numerous ways.
Meta’s faith was integral to her life. She was a member of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Columbia and Holden Lutheran Church in Kenyon, Minnesota.
A gifted pianist and organist, Meta loved music. She lived a life of deep gratitude and profound curiosity and found great joy in her family and her many friendships. She also loved a good baseball game, birdsong, gardens, ice cream, finding every morsel of a steamed lobster, travel, Jane Austen, and so much more.
She is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth George (Paul Voytas) of Springfield, Ohio, and Margaret Eggenberger (Tod) of Eagan, Minnesota; and her granddaughter, Hanna Eggenberger of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A memorial service will be held in Columbia at a later date. Interment at Holden Lutheran Church Cemetery in Kenyon, Minnesota. Memorial donations may be made to ELCA World Hunger or the donor’s choice.
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