George “Bud” Elwood Gage Jr. of Meadowlakes, Texas, passed away after a short illness with dementia on November 13, 2024, at the age of 85. George was born on May 26, 1939, in Jonesville, New York, to George E. and Marion (Sisson) Gage. He grew up in Clifton Park, New York, where he graduated from Shenendehowa High School in 1958. He went on to further his education in Wildlife Management at Utah State University and graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor’s Degree.
Upon graduation from Utah State University, he started working for the State of New York Conservation Department. He was a resident manager at the landlocked Howland Island which is forty-five percent of the 7,700-acre Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area. During that time he was also a conservation biologist in the NY Finger Lakes area. He coordinated five volunteer conservation clubs for the winter banding of diving ducks. In June of 1967, he began his thirty-three year career with the National Wildlife Refuge System which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the Department of the Interior of the Federal Government. He was hired as the first refuge manager of Delaware’s Prime Hook NWF. In 1970, he went to Long Island, NY, as the first manager for the “postage stamp” refuges which included Target Rock. While there, the highly contested seven-mile Oyster Bay-Rye Bridge which would connect New York City to Long Island, was proposed. As refuge manager, he coauthored work which helped defeat the plan for the bridge. In 1974, he became the refuge manager for the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, just 26 miles west of New York City’s Time Square. Being this close to New York City, there was a highly contentious deer management hunt, for which he successfully coauthored an Environmental Impact Statement. George’s last career move was in 1977 when he became the refuge manager for DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge located along the Missouri River and bordering both Iowa and Nebraska. While there, he oversaw the construction of a new visitor center which houses almost 250,000 different artifacts retrieved from the Bertrand Steamboat which sunk on the bend of the Missouri River that is now DeSoto Lake. He managed DeSoto NWR for twenty-three years until retirement in 2000.
The outdoors, surrounded by nature of all kinds, is where George was the happiest. He enjoyed hiking, birding, snow skiing, hunting for deer, ducks, geese, caribou, and mushrooms of several types. At one time, he had four motorcycles and rode them at every opportunity. He attended motorcycle races all over the U.S. His love of archeology started as a youngster finding arrowheads along the streams of his home area. That interest grew as his collection of Indian artifacts and other antiquities enlarged. From his refuge management times on the east coast, he began to visit decoy carvers, and as a result, had a large collection of duck decoys both working and decorative. The large canvasback duck decoy became his favorite to collect. George was an avid reader, and also loved planting, maintaining, and harvesting his garden produce. He planted all types of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that would sustain wildlife and pollinators. In retirement, George and his wife of forty-two and a half years, Audrey, purchased their first RV and began their fourteen years of leaving the cold winter months for trips to Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, Bahia de Kino Mexico, the northwest Pacific Coast, the East Coast, and all along the southern states. Those trips lead them to their retirement home in Meadowlakes, Texas, on the Texas Colorado River with the five reservoir lakes.
George is preceded in death by his parents, George and Marion (Sisson) Gage. He is survived by his wife of forty-two and a half years, Audrey (Hewitt) Gage; daughter, Kimberly Sue Mendez (Roberto); son, Brett Stuart Gage (Nidia); step-sons, Jeffery Darin Isom (Shawn), and Talon Dion Isom; grandson, John Jennings (Meridian); granddaughter, Annmarie Marion Gage; sister, Patricia Kuchay; nephew, Rick Snyder (Laura); niece, Pamela Schorr (Gregg); brother-in-law, Larry Hewitt (Nancy); as well as great nephew and nieces; and friends. In the spring in New York, George’s ashes will be interred in the cemetery of his parents, and a Celebration of Life will be held.
George cared deeply about protecting the world’s environment and inhabitants; therefore, any memorials may be sent to: Oceana, ATTN: Donation Services, 1025 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 USA, or online at oceana.org.
Funeral: Highland Lakes Cremation Center
Deceased birth info: May 26, 1939 Jonesville New York
Deceased death info: November 13, 2024 Granite Mesa Health Center, Marble Falls, Tx
