George A. Fairs, 98
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - George Anderson Fairs, 98, of 73 Kemp Ave., died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015.
Mr. Fairs was involved for many years with the city's recreational commissions and programs, including serving for 38 years on the Parks & Recreation Commission, many of those as chairman.
Born in Adams on April 21, 1917, son of William and Janet "Jessie" Knight Fairs, he moved to North Adams at a very young age and was educated in the North Adams schools, graduating from Drury High School in 1937.
An Army Air Forces veteran of World War II, he served in the Pacific as a flight engineer from 1942 to 1946.
Mr. Fairs purchased Berkshire Monumental Works from his father and was proprietor of that business for 43 years, retiring in 1979.
He was active on many of the boards and commissions of North Adams, a city he loved dearly. As a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, he was on the team of founding members of the North Adams Little League. He also was on the building committees of the Jim Fallon Little League Field in Greylock, Joe Wolfe Baseball Field at the Noel Field Athletic Complex, and the Mary Jezyk Sunshine Park for Retarded Children at Kemp Park. Playgrounds, skating rinks and basketball courts were also built in every section of the city during his tenure as chairman.
He was chairman of the Windsor Lake Commission, which was instrumental in the city's purchase of the lake. The commission spearheaded the construction of its beach, picnic, parking and now defunct children's ski area. It also initiated the Concert at the Lake program that is still ongoing and enjoyed by many and brought camping to fruition with the establishment of Historic Valley Campground.
Mr. Fairs was also active in many civic and community groups. He was a trustee of the former North Adams Regional Hospital, a longtime trustee and later honorary trustee of Hoosac Bank (now Mountain One), a member of the Lions Club and the Chamber of Commerce.
He was also a member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a 57-year master mason of the Massachusetts Freemasons. He also served on the Fall Foliage Parade Committee for 38 years and was named the parade's grand marshal in 1970.
He received numerous awards for achievements including the Northern Berkshire Brotherhood Award, the Francis H. Hayden Award, Mary Jezyk Retarded Children's plaque, Harry S. Orr Rotary Award, and the YMCA Service to Youth plaque. In 1990, the North Adams City Council named the music and picnic shed at Windsor Lake Park as the George A. Fairs Pavilion. Then Mayor John Barrett III named the road running through the Windsor Lake campus and the campground as "George Fairs Way." He also received several other awards from civic and city organizations.
He was a life member of First Congregational Church. He was fond of fishing, daily wooded walks with his dogs and spending prime time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His wife, the former Helen Francis, whom he married in North Adams on March 9, 1940, died March 7, 2011.
He leaves a son, William Fairs and his wife, Karen, of Savoy; a daughter, Laurie Babcock and her husband, David, of North Adams; six grandchildren, Kerry Fairs of Sidney, Australia, James Fairs and his wife, Joanna, of Greenfield Center, N.Y., Robin Hogan and her partner, Amy, of Rochester, Minn., Erika Webber and her husband, Danny, of Canton, Minn., Megan Babcock of North Adams and a stepgranddaughter, Jessica Atcheson of Boston; six great-grandchildren, Logan Fairs, Hailey Webber, Jaidyn Webber and Blake Webber, all of Canton, Minn., and Avery Fairs and William Fairs, both of Greenfield Center; and nieces, nephews and cousins as well as many dear friends.
He will be missed by his family and the many friends he has made throughout his lifetime.
He was predeceased by two brothers, William Fairs and John Fairs and two sisters, Jean Fairs and Edna Donlin.
FUNERAL NOTICE - At Mr. Fairs' request, there will be no calling hours and funeral services will be private. Those wishing may make a remembrance donation to the Shriners Children's Hospital, 133 Longhill St., Springfield, MA 01108; the Berkshire Humane Society, Barker Road, Pittsfield, MA 01201, or through Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, Central Chapels, 74 Marshall Street, North Adams, MA 01247.