Western Railroad Discussion > George Voightmann

It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that I report to the Rail fan community on the passing of my friend, George E. Voightmann of Greeley, Colorado. George was the inspiration for my moniker here on Trainorders as "gandydancer" since he took the name for his business, "Gandydancer Videos". I first met George at a UPHS meet in 1989 in Omaha. He was selling his videos he had made of the Union Pacific around the Cheyenne Wyoming area and I was hooked. His kind and gentle personality soon won me over as a friend and we spent many a year doing the Great American Train Shows in KC and St. Louis as well as "Trainfest" in Milwaukee, WI. over Veteran's Day weekend. George was also responsible for introducing me to Steve Lee and the rest of the UP Steam Crew in Cheyenne in 1989. He was responsible for taking me to many classic UP western sites such as Sherman Hill and Rawlins, WY. as well as other rail fan sites he had discovered as a trucker. George was a trucker by trade but had many other jobs as well including being the Chauffeur to some famous people in the Chicago area. George was a life long rail fan. I remember us sitting at my house and watching "Chicago Odyssey" from Green Frog Productions and George being accidentally caught in one of the scenes captured by Emery Gulash. He was on the back of a Heavyweight Pullman observation deck during a rail fan excursion. We just about wore out the remote on the VCR watching that over and over again. He then regaled me with highlights of the entire trip. George was also a Vietnam veteran being on the supply side of the war. Unfortunately, this was where he was exposed to "Agent Orange" which led to his health issues later in life. The bottom fell out of his business with the poor economy of the early 2000s, the development of the DVR and his health issues. I too, developed some minor health issues and we both stopped doing shows. He did WAY more shows than me, being that was his livelihood and for me, just a hobby business. I last saw George fittingly at Trainfest about 8-10 years ago but he was not himself. He acted as if he barely knew me (which was not him). I found out through his wife, Sharon that he had a close encounter with death while he was in the Cardiac Cath Lab in the hospital. His heart had stopped for several minutes and while they had successfully revived him, his personality had changed because of the anoxia and his exposure to "Agent Orange". He retired from trucking and spent the rest of his life with his wife in Greeley. I believe he spent a lot of time with the model railroad club that is in Greeley as well. I do not know the circumstances of his death but he passed away on December 27th 2018 in the local hospital in Greeley, Colorado. You can look up his obit through Google. I hope his last years were happy. He was a wonderful friend and I shall miss him very much.   

So sorry to hear about George Passing ,I 1st met him from Lynn and Mary Nystrom when I would car host on alot of the Pacific limited trips . When George would come to Southern California me and him used to get tables Near each other as I was selling stuff for the Western Pacific railroad museum in Southern California always had a good time talking to him and Sharon . Our Prayers go out to Sharon .

Dave and Serena Dodds

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Dave Dodds
San Dimas, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/19 19:35 by WP805A.

Yes, very sorry to hear of his passing. He did a number of videos for the UP Steam crew. Lynn and Mary knew him well and I think Bob Krieger knows him as well.

Jim Burrill

George was a great fellow. He was friendly , cheerful, dedicated , and made an extra effort to do great video work with his Gandy Dancer VHS tapes and tapes for the UP Steam Crew . He will be missed. RIP, George.   --Kelly

George was a wonderful man and a great soul. I did train shows with him for many years, and he always had a good joke or something to say to make you laugh and cheer you up. He was a good businessman and he promoted videos and the hobby well. His wife Sharon was also a postive and happy lady who was a pleasure to be around but didn't take any BS from anybody especially George, even though he tried.

On those slow Sunday afternoons when the GAT shows were dead, you could always go by George's table and he would have some classic comment. God bless him and I thank him and all the vets for their service and sacrifices they made. He will be missed!

I also knew George, he was a excellent man and his Greenfrog Videos were very enjoyable. I also spent time with him around the Greeley Freight Station Museum during my 11 years there. He was one of the very good ones. We have lost many armed forces personnel to Agent Orange issues over the years; unfortunately another price for freedom. His wife contacted me by email and asked me to see if the Santa Fe Convention scheduled for Pueblo, CO could do a moment of silence in his memory and this will happen as he was also a rabid Santa Fe fan.

High GREEN for George and great sympathy for his family.

Don Allender

https://obittree.com/obituary/us/colorado/greeley/northern-colorado-crematory/george-voightmann/3684966/

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Dave Dodds
San Dimas, CA

I don't believe I met George but I certainly have enjoyed his work over the years.