George

French

George French, age 53, of St. Paul, MN, formerly Park Rapids, MN, died Thursday, September 24, 2026, at Fairview Health in Minneapolis, MN.

George Louis French was born April 9, 1973, in Park Rapids, MN, the only son of John French and Debra Warren. He was raised in Park Rapids by his parents, John and Kathy French and attended school. Following his graduation with the Class of 1991, George remained in Park Rapids and entered the workforce. He worked as a machinist in Osage, MN, at Schluters and later in Park Rapids at Straight River Engineering, which is now Team Industries. In June of 1999, George married Olivia O’Bannon. He welcomed with open arms, her daughter, Samantha, and together George and Olivia were blessed with a son and three additional daughters to complete their family. George also worked in construction and together with his brother-in-law, they formed French-Ayers Construction, working in the Park Rapids area. Over the years, George and Olivia made their home in several communities including Ponsford, Park Rapids, Minneapolis, MN, then to Arizona, Colorado and settled in North Dakota. Following Olivia’s death in 2015, George made the move to St. Paul, MN, where he remained until his passing.

In his younger years, George enjoyed being in the outdoors, shooting guns, and trapping gophers for the bounty and fishing. As he aged, he liked to play video games, travel and socialize. George loved to be around friends and have a good time. He was kind and caring, yet always joking around showing his great sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by many.

George is survived by his parents, John and Kathy French of Ponsford, MN; children: Severin (Aysia) French, Javlyn French, Savannah French, Jordyn French and Samantha O’Bannon; sisters: Carolyn French of Park Rapids, Christina (Tim) Middendorf of Dahlgren, IL, Trista (Chris) Ayers of Ponsford, and Gabriela (Matt) Hanebuth of Detroit Lakes, MN; grandma, Linda Palmer of Clark, SD; and several extended family. He was preceded in death by his grandparents and wife, Olivia.

Blessed be the memory of George Louis French.

A Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 pm on Friday, October 2, 2026, at Anderson Family Funeral Home, Mahnomen, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be in Linnell Cemetery, rural Ponsford, MN.