Angels Camp, CA…George Richard Wendt, respected river runner and founder of O.A.R.S. (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists), died on Saturday July 9, 2016. He was 74. George died at the UC Davis Medical Center from complications caused by a non-Hodgkins lymphoma. After initially being diagnosed in late-August of 2015, then following what seemed to be a successful chemotherapy regimen, George began the spring in good health and with reasonable odds for five or more years cancer-free. His health took a turn for the worse, however, in recent weeks, ultimately leading him to check in to the hospital on June 17th with symptoms of extreme fatigue, stomach pain and faltering kidneys. Aggressive chemotherapy weakened his immune system, yet failed to stem the tide of the cancer invading his blood and kidneys; George’s lungs gave out at 1:36 pm on July 9th.

Born to Otto and Helen Wendt, George was raised in Pacific Palisades, CA with older brother David, older sister Marlene, and younger brother Paul. George’s father and mother moved to southern California from Ohio during the Great Depression. Otto was working as an engineer at Douglas Aircraft testing airplanes when he and Helen purchased the fully-furnished, Spanish-style house in “the Palisades.” Many of George’s formative childhood years were channeled through outdoor and philanthropic experiences in the Pacific Palisades Boy Scout troop 223, where he went on to become an Eagle Scout. After high school, George attended college courses at UCLA, graduating with a degree in history in 1966. During his college years, George and friends explored various sections of the Colorado River, which ultimately ignited his passion for exploring wild rivers. George got a job as a junior high school math teacher, spending subsequent summers taking friends on river trips in northern California and on expeditions through Grand Canyon.

In 1969, George married his sweetheart Pam, an X-ray technician whom he had met at the Palisades Lutheran Church. They spent the next couple of years moonlighting in the adventure travel business, running commercial Grand Canyon trips during the summer months as Gooch/Wendt Expeditions. In 1972, George and Pam took the leap of faith to leave their day jobs and commit themselves full-time to a new company they named O.A.R.S., Inc. From there, the business grew, ultimately allowing them to move out of the Los Angeles area and plant a flag in Angels Camp, CA, near the Stanislaus River’s popular Camp 9 run. George and Pam raised their two sons Clavey and Tyler in a house near the company offices on Hwy 49 south of town. Although the Stanislaus run had sustained a robust local business throughout the 1970s and early 1980s before being inundated by the rising waters of the New Melones Reservoir in 1983, George had looked to expand operations beyond the Stanislaus and Grand Canyon to include many of the great wilderness river trips in the western US. Over time, O.A.R.S. flourished into a geographically diverse business with bases of operation in 6 western states, while also sending clients to partner-led trips in exotic locales around the world.

In these later years, while O.A.R.S. was gathering acclaim as a first-class travel provider, George came to be seen as a celebrity father-figure in the world of adventure travel. He impressed many with his humility and kindness, always taking an interest in those he met at travel conferences or who sought him out for help or advice. As the founder and president of the O.A.R.S. family of companies and co-founder of Sobek Expeditions, George was honored with the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Friends of the River’s Mark Dubois River Conservation Award. He was a founding member of the Adventure Collection and a regular speaker at various conferences dedicated to river preservation, ecotourism and sustainability. O.A.R.S. under George’s leadership gives generously to community organizations and river conservation groups along with focused outreach that brings underserved youth and military veteran populations into the wilderness to experience the restorative and inspiring qualities of a river trip.

George was a lifelong Christian, attending Pacific Palisades Lutheran Church as a child and young man before moving to Calaveras County where he and Pam joined Faith Lutheran Church in Murphys. In recent decades, George and his family attended Foothill Community Church and Grace Hills Covenant Church in Angels Camp. He was a faithful servant of the Lord, respected in business and life for his quiet leadership and devoted practice of Christian virtues.
George was preceded in death by wife Pamela and older brother David. He is survived by two sons and their wives, Clavey Wendt and wife CJ Wendt, and Tyler Wendt and wife Rachel Wendt; by grandchildren Eva, Alyssa and Nathaniel (Clavey and CJ),and Olivia and Asher (Tyler and Rachel); and by his sister Marlene Everingham, and brother and sister-in-law Paul and Joanne Wendt. The family wishes to thank the kind staff in the Oncology Department at UC Davis Medical for their compassionate and supportive treatment of George during his final days. A Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday July 30th at Foothill Community Church, 3710 Whittle Rd, just south of the town of Angels Camp.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the O.A.R.S. Foundation at https://www.oars.com/oars-foundation/ or to the environmental advocacy organization of your choosing.