George Jim Anaya, of Bella Vista, Arkansas, lost his battle with mesothelioma and passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 29th with his wife and daughter at his side. He was born May 22, 1941, in St John, Arizona, to the late Dora Maestas and Jose Larry Anaya. The family moved to Woodland, California a year later, and he continued living in California most of his life.

While still in high school, George's first job was as a busboy at a local restaurant. When he saw his young friends getting into trouble, he decided that it was not the life he wanted. So, at age 17, he dropped out of high school and joined the Navy! He served on the USS Perry and the USS Hunt from 1958 to 1962. Because of his high mechanical aptitude, he was assigned to the engine room. While in the Navy, he earned his G.E.D. and he later used his G.I. Bill to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. After obtaining a commercial license, though, he realized that what he really wanted was just to fly for fun and not have it turn into a job. So, he returned to using his natural skills and his Navy training to start a career in appliance repair and HVAC Service.

In 1962, George married his first wife, Arletha Farriester. Together they opened their own store, "Anaya's Appliance" in Dixon California. After a fire burned down the building, George had various jobs servicing residential air conditioning, furnaces, and appliances. He joined the Sheetmetal Union and the Plumbers Union and began working on commercial projects. He obtained his contractor's license in the 1980's and began specializing in temperature control systems. He was famously known throughout the US as "Mr. NOVAR" (brand name of the controls). George understood how everything worked whether it was electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, or hydronic. He could envision how to bring all the pieces together to make a system function well. When Engineers couldn't figure out how to solve a problem, they would call George. Even though he had only a high school education, he was proud of his "Phd in OJT" as he would say. Everyone respected his brilliance in "thinking outside the box" and his "KISS" approach to solving problems.

After over 30 years of marriage, George and Arletha parted ways amicably.

George later had heart problems and had a quadruple heart bypass. After he completed his initial physical therapy, he chose to skip the boring treadmills and opted instead to take up ballroom dancing. This quickly became one of his favorite hobbies. This was to the delight of myriads of ladies who had the pleasure of dancing with him. One of these ladies was Patricia (Patty) Moore, who became his dance partner, and in 2001 became his wife.

George "retired" in 2009 but missed the mental challenges and interaction he had with customers. So, he and Patty started their own "small little business" so that they could work part time. The business quickly grew and ten years later, George and Patty finally retired "for real" and moved to Arkansas in 2022.

Through the years, flying forever remained George's passion and he took every opportunity to invite others to join in the fun of flying in his plane. He loved to travel and meet new people, but he never met a stranger. He always managed to produce a smile from anyone he interacted with. George also enjoyed fishing and playing golf with his friends. He continued dancing to the very end.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Dora Gabbard; father, Jose Anaya; stepfather, Jim Gabbard; sister, Irene Kelly; and half-sister, Debbie Gabbard.

George leaves behind his wife, Patty; his former wife, Arletha; his daughter, Angela (Toni) Sutherland; stepdaughter, Jessica Pebbles; stepson, Jonathon Moore; grandchildren, Zane Anaya, Aubrey Pebbles, and Sophia Pebbles; his half-brother, Charlie Gabbard; and brother-in-law, Anthony Coffelt.

To know George was to love him, and he will be dearly missed by all!

A celebration of George's life will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Dance and Swing Studio, 180 Industrial Circle East, Springdale, AR 72762.

Arrangements are under the direction of Bella Vista Funeral Home and Crematory. Online condolences may be made at www.funeralmation.com.