George Anthony Kouba, age 64, died on February 3, 2026 in Siler City, North Carolina. George was born on November 9, 1961 in Baltimore, Maryland, where he spent most of his childhood. He moved to Valdese, NC and graduated from East Burke High School in 1980, where he won the senior superlative “Most Humorous.” George went on to attend NC State University before transferring to UNC-Wilmington, where he served as the captain of the rugby team and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

George was most often described as “funny” and “smart.” He was also exceptionally loving to his friends and family, and cared deeply about issues big and small. He especially adored his mother, Daisy, and his two daughters, Annie and Emily. George also loved animals and rescued several dogs and cats throughout his life. He enjoyed spending time with his siblings, cousins, and nieces and nephews and was always the life of a party. He loved playing and watching golf for many years, but enjoyed a variety of sports including, tragically, being a devoted Carolina Panthers fan. George was also a voracious reader and tended to have an answer to any question (and if he didn’t, he had a joke instead). He easily made friends and was genuinely interested in hearing about whatever may have been happening in his friends’ and family’s lives.

George was preceded in death by his father William; brother Gary; sister Lorraine; and step-father Herb Bell. He is survived by his mother, Daisy Bell; daughters, Annie Kouba (Dennis Costigan) and Emily Kouba (Stuart Poulsen); sister, Elizabeth Thorn; nieces and nephews, Jeremy Kouba (Suzanne), Adrian Thorn (Lacee Monte), Ryan Thorn (Jessica), Rachael Thorn, Meghan McMahan, and Dylan McMahan (Wayne).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to EveryLibrary, a nonprofit supporting public libraries at https://www.everylibrary.org/ .