George R. Wendt, 70, a retired Navy captain and father of Cheers actor George, died Tuesday in Newport, R.I., while attending the U.S. Naval War College’s annual current strategy forum at the invitation of the secretary of the Navy. He was 70.
Capt. Wendt, a resident of the Beverly neighborhood, was president of Wm. H. Wendt Inc., an insurance, real estate and mortgage banking firm. He had appeared in several bit parts on the TV show Cheers, in which his son starred as the character Norm.
Capt. Wendt, as a boy, was a member of the Paulist Choir. He graduated from Leo High School in 1940 and received a degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1943. He joined the Navy that same year and became an ensign.
His service was in the South Pacific Fleet in Okinawa and Japan.
He subsequently was commander of the Illinois Commandry of the Naval Order of the United States, a 100-year-old organization. He was also a president of its foundation.
In 1992, he was named Man of the Year by the Illinois Vietnam Veterans leadership program, although he did not serve in Vietnam.
Capt. Wendt had been a director of the Beverly Bank since 1967.
Survivors include his wife, Loret; four daughters, Kathryn Sudeikis, Loretta Jolivette, Marty Doherty and Nancy Healy; two other sons, Tom and Paul; and 19 grandchildren.
