Warroad- George was born at the Roseau Hospital in Roseau on November 7, 1948, to Vernon and Ione Ganyo. He grew up in Warroad and was an excellent athlete and a real standout in ice hockey. He graduated in 1966 from Warroad High School and went to Bemidji State for two years. He is in the Bemidji State Hall of Fame for hockey.

He fell in love with his future wife, Barbara Thompson, from California in 1967 when she and her family were in Warroad on a summer vacation. They had a two-year long-distance love affair and were married June 28, 1969. George was drafted August 21, 1969 and spent th...