George Stonewall Ormsby, beloved husband, father, grandfather and Opa passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness Friday, May 13, 2011, at 92 years of age. George was born April 29, 1919, in Sour Lake to Cecil A. Ormsby and Cora Lee Jones. He attended schools in various oilfield boom towns, graduated from Alvin High School at the age of sixteen, studied four years Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas and joined Phillips Petroleum Company. He married Leta Rue Thompson and they were blessed with three children: Jim, Kathleen and Colleen. After fourteen years with Phillips working in different departments, he resigned as Assistant Director of the Drilling Engineering Research Division in 1956 to join IDC-International Drilling Company of The Hague as Holland Division Manager and Assistant General Manager in Rome with extensive work in the Netherlands, England, Italy and Africa.
In 1958, George returned to the United States to become active in Pioneer Centrifuging Company, later PICENCO INTERNATIONAL INC., which he had helped found in 1955. He went to Venezuela as Executive Vice President of Pioneer Centrifuging Co. of Venezuela and opened a subsidiary covering Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad. He returned to Houston and became the Vice President and Head of Research and Development. He is sole or joint inventor of approximately fifteen patented systems and devices. He also has authored and co-authored numerous technical papers and technical magazine articles since 1952, on drilling hydraulics, downhole mud pressure control, and mud system design, etc. After sixteen years, he left the partnership and divested his interest in 1977 and formed Stonewall Associates, Inc. to concentrate more on teaching and consulting on the mechanics of surface drilling-mud systems and solids removal relating to drilling problems. He taught solids control schools in over forty countries, and has rigged up mud systems and corrected rig-ups in many of them. He loved the oilfields and excelled in finding solutions in solving problems.
He worked on several committees of S.P.E. (Society of Petroleum Engineers, API- American Petroleum Institute, Houston Engineering and Scientific Society, IADC and was president of NOMADS.
In April 2010, AADE-American Association of Drilling Engineers recognized his valuable and enduring contributions to the technology in the petroleum industry and honored him with an induction ceremony into the AADE Drilling Fluids Hall of Fame.
George cherished his church life as an Elder and was always ready to serve the Lord. He lived and worked by Christian principles. He led a full and fulfilling life, enjoyed globe-trotting with Heli, whom he married in 1960, loved sports, tennis, hunting, fishing, boating at his favorite Lake Buchanan with the grandchildren, family gatherings, and meeting people.
His parting has left a very deep void in all who knew and loved him. George was a man of noble character and conscience.
He is survived by his wife, Heli (Wilma) Heidmann; daughters, Kathleen Solcher and her husband, Dr. Dean Solcher and Colleen Lewis and her husband Les; son, Jim B. Ormsby; grandsons, J. Brad Woods and his wife Bobbie, Jeffrey Ormsby, Joel Ormsby, Jason Ormsby and his wife, Katherine, and Derik Ormsby; thirteen great-grandchildren; and numerous cousins and friends.
The family wishes to express their deep gratitude to all the lovely people at Silverado Senior Living in Sugarland who took care tirelessly of George’s needs.
His funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 21, 2011, at Broussard’s, 530 W. Monroe, Kountze with Reverend Ken Ellzey officiating. Burial will follow at Pine Ridge Cemetery in Sour Lake. A gathering of his family and friends will be Friday, May 20, 2011, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at Broussard’s.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 3195 Calder, Suite 200, Beaumont, Texas 77702 or to your favorite charity.
