George D. Elson III

George Daniel Elson III, 82, formerly of Fountain Hills, passed away on Feb. 9, 2023, at the Lund Family Hospice Home in Gilbert, Ariz. He was surrounded by his family.

Dan was born on May 25, 1940, to Anna (Larson) and George Elson in Natick, Mass. He graduated from Natick High School in 1958 and then earned an associate degree at Wentworth Institute in Boston, Mass.

Dan then started his career in construction management. After several years of carpentry work, he worked as a project manager for Zayre Corporation. He went on to work for over 30 years at Talbots, Inc. as a project manager, overseeing the building and renovation of the company’s retail stores across the United States. His job was based in Hingham, Mass., but allowed him to travel regularly and often. Dan loved travel and a career highlight was his selection by the company to represent Talbots for a tour of Japan. He was also a proud Two Million Miler on Delta Air Lines and one Million Miler on American Airlines.

In 1970, Dan met Kathleen Grimes in Boston. Dan and Kathe married in 1972. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have three daughters, Carrie, Linda and Danielle, and spent 18 years living and raising their girls in Southborough, Mass.

In 1995, Dan and Kathe moved to Fountain Hills where they lived for over 25 years. While in Fountain Hills, Dan was a loyal member of the Neighborhood Property Owners’ Association (NPOA). He was also a lifelong sports fan of Boston and Phoenix professional teams and NASCAR.

In 2009, upon his retirement, Dan continued to enjoy gardening, cars, travel and watching sports, including many in-person Spring Training baseball games. He also loved spending time with his family, including his six grandchildren.

Dan was predeceased by his parents and sister, Judith (Elson) Coppola. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Elson of Chandler, Ariz.; daughters, Carrie Philpott and her husband Cyrus of Atlanta, Ga., Linda Chapman and her husband, Jason of Glendale, Ariz. and Danielle Olson and her husband, Ryan of Phoenix, Ariz.; and grandchildren, Emma and Austin Chapman, Adam and Drew Olson, and George and Anna Philpott.

A memorial service will be held at the Golden Barrel Lawn and Ramada at Fountain Park in Fountain Hills, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Lund Family Home – Hospice of the Valley or The National Parkinson’s Foundation.