George Washington Pouder, 101, of New Milford, Conn., died Friday morning, Sept. 6. His family said at the time of his death he was looking over his beloved garden with his dogs by his side.
Born Jan. 18, 1923, to George and Hedwig (Esser) Pouder in the Bronx, he was predeceased by his parents and his brother, William. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dr. Katina Aurelia Raciti of New Milford, their sons, George (Linda) of Northwood, N.H., Leonard (Gabrielle) of Sharon, Conn., and Nick (Linda) of New Milford, and four grandchildren.
A longtime resident of Greenwich Road in Armonk, he was active with the Bedford Farmers Club. Always curious, Pouder spent much of his retirement propagating plants, exploring botanical curiosities in his garden, and attending courses at Pace University and Westchester Community College. He had a particular interest in local history and was active with the North Castle Historical Society and the “History Hounds,” an ad-hoc group of like-minded history buffs. He received the Sy Schulman History Award from the Westchester Historical Society for his biographies of Civil War veterans.
Pouder was a member of VFW Post 1672, Post 31 of the American Legion, and served on the vestry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and on multiple town of North Castle committees.
His family said that from an early age, he was fascinated by the natural world. In the backyard of his Bronx apartment, George planted his first garden in 1927 and continued gardening his entire life. Saplings he planted in the 1920s at his home on Pittman Avenue now shade the yard and have done so for generations of its residents.
He received his degree in ornamental horticulture from the State Institute of Agriculture at Farmingdale in 1943 and worked for his mentor, Werner Lieb, at Lieb’s Greenhouses in New Rochelle before enlisting in the Army during World War II. After returning from the war, he worked for various greenhouses, eventually returning to Lieb’s which he purchased in 1954 and operated with his son, Leonard, until retirement in the 1990s.
While working for the Liebs, their daughters introduced him to their high school classmate, Aurelia Raciti, who had just opened her pediatrics practice in New Rochelle. They were married in February 1957.
According to his family, Pouder was deeply proud of his service to his country, though he despised the atrocities of war. He served in North Africa and Europe from 1943 to 1946. While assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division, he participated in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp and later served at the Nuremberg prison during the trials. Shaped by the inhumanity he witnessed during war, he spent the remainder of his life bringing beauty to the world through his work with plants. In 2014 he was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the president of the Republic of France.
Services were held at St. Stephen Episcopal Church in Armonk.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Westchester County Historical Society, 2199 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford, NY 10523, or westchesterhistory.com/support-us/.