He was born the youngest of 4 brothers on December 7, 1940, in Mendota, Illinois, to Martha and John Meusel. In 1947, the family moved to a farm just outside of Amboy, Illinois, where George would live the rest of his life.
George graduated from Amboy High School(1958), married his wife, Yolane Meusel (nee Richards) in 1962, and proceeded to take over the farm from his father. As a young farmer, he finished cattle and hogs, kept a large flock of layers, baled hay and straw, and row-cropped corn and soybeans. In fact, if you were lucky, you may have gotten farm-fresh eggs delivered to your door by George on his Wednesday night egg route. He continued the tradition of the family farm, raising 3 daughters(Ann a.k.a. Tractor Driver, Molly a.k.a. Egg Collector, and Jodi a.k.a. Hay Raker) and 1 son (Mike a.k.a. Son) who has farmed alongside his father for 35 years.
If that wasn’t enough, George also worked ten plus years each at Sterile Pack in Dixon, Illinois, Fantasy Flavors in Amboy, Illinois, and Schreiber Foods in Dixon, Illinois.
And if that wasn’t enough, in 1985, George and his wife purchased a fledgling ice cream business in Amboy. The couple nurtured and grew the Dairy Delite into a fully formed famousLee County dessert destination when they opened their second location in Dixon, Illinois, in 1998. He is the ‘George’ behind the George’s Homemade Hard Ice Cream at Meusel’s Dairy Delite in Amboy and Dixon, now being captained by his daughter, Molly.
George was preceded in death by his father, John(1974), his mother Martha(1985), and his brothers Henry(2016), Norman(1998), and Rudy(2015).
He is survived by his wife, Yolane; his daughters, Ann Drada (Donnie), Molly, and Jodi (Nathan Clements), and his son Mike (Jessica); his grandchildren Jake Drada (Brooke), Max Drada, Henry Meusel, and Harper Meusel; and great-grandchildren Maeve Drada and Drew Drada.
George loved working on the farm, working at the Dairy Delite, and working with his family. He will be remembered for his good nature and easy smile, as well as the best damn butter pecan ice cream in the country.
His family will be hosting a Final Farewell at the Amboy Community Building on Friday, April 10th, between 4:00 and 7:30. Arrangements by the Mihm-Jones Funeral Home in Amboy.
