One priest, Father George Serour, was raised in Bay City and was known as a good cook and devoted Detroit teams fan. The second, Father Stanley Surman, immigrated to the U.S. from Kraków, Poland, studied under a former pope and loved to make people laugh.

Both were dedicated to their roles as priests, cared for their parishioners and had unique routes into the priesthood.

Father George Serour, 91, was born Aug. 18, 1933 to Syrian parents, speaking both Arabic and English while attending school in Bay City. Father George attended St. James Elementary School in Bay City. He traveled to study at Sacred Heart Seminary and then to St. John Provincial Seminary, both in Detroit, to study theology. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Saginaw on June 6, 1959, by Bishop Stephen Woznicki, the second Bishop of Saginaw.

Father George first served as associate pastor of St. Anne in Alpena (All Saints Parish, Diocese of Gaylord), Our Lady of Lake Huron (Holy Name of Mary Parish) in Harbor Beach and Our Lady of the Visitation (Our Lady of Peace Parish) in Bay City and St. Andrew (Christ the Good Shepherd Parish) in Saginaw. He also served as chaplain of the Knights of Columbus and Serra Club of Bay City, and at the diocesan level as regional vicar and co-director of the permanent diaconate program.

Father George became a senior priest of the Diocese of Saginaw in 2003 and served as a sacramental minister at St. Agatha (Our Lady Consolata Parish) in Gagetown; St. Francis Borgia (Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish) in Pigeon and St. Maria Goretti (St. Catherine of Siena Parish) in Bay City.

“He had a great personality. He always had a smile on his face,” said Father Ron Wagner, who gave Father George’s funeral homily. Father Ron added that his smile is what he will always remember about Father George. “When I first met him, he opened his door and he welcomed me with a smile. He was an approachable, very friendly person.”

Father Ron said he was grateful to speak about Father Georger’s life, making comparisons with the love Father George had for his hobby of carpentry and woodworking to the way he could always see the “good in people.”

“I wanted to weave that into the homily. Similar to how God sees the good in people, that’s how Father George would speak with people. He would notice the good in people,” he said. “[It’s similar to] the way a carpenter has a way of looking at a piece of wood and has an ability to create something beautiful.”

His diligence while transforming simple wood into a masterpiece often amazed those who received their order or gift. His talent will remain on display throughout the Diocese of Saginaw in altars, presider’s chairs, ambos and credence tables that he created by hand.

“Father George not only saw the good in parishioners, he had a vision to see the good in other Christian churches and beyond,” Father Ron said. “He served for many years as the ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Saginaw. He engaged the pastors and grew to become lifelong friends with many of them.”

Father Ron said Father George leaves behind many friends, and family who remember him to be compassionate, a priest who would listen attentively, could try and see common ground especially when it came to hard issues or sticking points.

In addition to woodworking, Father George played golf and was a loyal Detroit sports fan, enjoying following both the Tigers and Lions. He was a member of and Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus Council #414, as well as Bishop Murphy Assembly #0491.

Father Stanley Surman, 93, was known for his generosity in serving parishioners for 30 years in Michigan’s Thumb area. Father Surman was born in Stanisławów, Poland on Jan. 23, 1931. He attended the Jagiellonian University and University of Krakow, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy and theology. At Jagiellonian University, he studied under then-Father Karol Wojtyła, who later became Pope St. John Paul II.

Father Surman spoke five languages:  English, Polish, German, Russian and some Ukrainian. This helped him better minister to parishioners from many heritages. Father Surman was ordained a priest on June 26, 1956 in Krakow and was incardinated into the Diocese of Saginaw on Feb. 23, 1967. He began his ministry in the Diocese of Saginaw by serving as chaplain at Holy Rosary Academy in Bay City. He then served as pastor of St. Mary of Czestochowa (Annunciation of the Lord Parish) in Kinde; St. Mary (St. Isidore Parish) in Parisville; Holy Family (Our Lady Consolata Parish) in Sebewaing and St. Joseph (Holy Family Parish) in Sandusky. He was also chaplain of the Knights of Columbus in Bad Axe.

Later in Surman’s vocation as a priest, he traveled to Rome to see and be photographed with the pope he studied with.

Father Surman became a senior priest of the Diocese of Saginaw on July 14, 1999.

While Father Surman did not speak much about his upbringing with those around him, he appreciated the ability to live freely –and not under communist rule– in the United States, said friend and fellow priest, Father Craig Carolan.

Carolan said of Father Surman: “While he could be very humorous, there was a serious side.”

“He would always make people laugh. He had a fun way of giving a nickname to those or a title. “He’d call you professor or Miss America. He’d elevate people and was extremely approachable.”

Father Carolan adds that Father Surman was proud to be living in the U.S. and honored those who serve in the Armed Forces to protect freedoms.