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Welding and fabrication industry mourns death of George Griebeler, developer of NC control for thermal cutting

George Griebeler, 68, passed away peacefully on October 5, 2009 in Mesa, Arizona, after a short illness.

To George, his proudest lifetime achievements were his wife Rita of 46 years; his four children, Kenneth, Christine, David and Michelle; and his five grandchildren.

To the welding and fabrication industry, Griebeler leaves behind a professional legacy that will long endure. Together with his brother Elmer Griebeler, with input from Richard Mills of Mills Alloy, and with the manufacturing assistance of Cleveland Machine Controls, George developed the Burny B, one of the first NC controls for welding and thermal plate-cutting in the United States. Today, Burny Controls are manufactured by ITT and are used in a wide variety of shape-cutting applications in virtually every country around the world.

Memorial services for George Griebeler were held Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Mariposa Gardens Cemetery Chapel in Mesa, Arizona. There are also plans for a memorial service sometime in early July 2010 in northern Ohio, near where George and Rita raised their family and where George spent most of his professional career.