George Paul DeFrancesco, lifelong teacher, musician, artist, and coach, passed away on July 17, 2016 at the age of 75.

George was born on April 19, 1941, and was raised in Steger, Ill. and attended Bloom Township High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art education from Northern Illinois University in 1963 and a master’s degree in art from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1978.

He began his teaching career at Steger Central Junior High in Steger, Ill., and then taught at Delavan-Darien High School in Delavan, Wis. for 14 years. In 1980 he began teaching at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev. George retired from teaching in 2004 after 24 years at Gorman.

George is survived by his wife, Susan Miller-DeFrancesco; three children from his first marriage, Gina DeFrancesco of Englewood, Fla., Giulianne (Jeff) Krug of Columbia, Mo., and Gion DeFrancesco, of Oxford, Ohio; seven grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.

A celebration of George’s life will be held Friday, Sept. 16, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Paiute Golf Resort, 10325 Nu-Wav Kaiv Blvd., Las Vegas, Nev. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the George DeFrancesco Memorial Scholarship Fund to assist a first-generation college-bound student pursue a degree in visual art or music. Details at georgedememorial.org.