Warrior Expeditions is honored to be the recipient of the George Diem Memorial Fund. One of George’s life goals was to hike the Pacific Crest Trail that starts at the Mexico/California border and ends at the Washington/Canada border. Since George can no longer attain his dream, his family would like to sponsor a veteran to hike this trail in his memory. Knowing it would mean the world to George to sponsor a fellow veteran – to help him or her find mental and physical healing from all that nature will teach them – the family hopes to find healing too. If you are so inclined, please help us to sponsor a vet and make this dream possible for both of them.

To make a donation to Warrior Expeditions in honor of the George Diem Memorial Fund, click the donate button below and you will receive a 501(c)3 Federal EIN 46-5201997 tax acknowledgment letter recognizing your contribution.

George Diem passed away unexpectedly due to complications from heart valve surgery on January 27, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Karen, his two kids, Nicole and Heather, as well as his mother Jean and brothers Steve and James.

George was born November 25, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan. He moved to the Chicago area when he was three and lived there until he moved to Southern California at fifteen. After graduating high school, George enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served as a firefighter in what he described as the hottest area of the country (Yuma, AZ) for two years, followed by another two years in the coldest area of the country (Fairbanks, AK). After his service, George focused on his higher education. He attended community college then transferred to California State University, Northridge where he double majored in Accounting and Business Information Systems and graduated with honors. It was at CSUN where he met his wife, Karen, who was lucky enough to be married to the man of her dreams for 26 ½ years. After graduation, George passed the CPA test on the first try and began working for Ernst & Young as an auditor. He excelled in his work. Not only was George a workhorse, but he truly had a talent for accounting and, many years later, his clients and business associates would say that George knew things and could accomplish complex tasks that very few people could. Further satisfying his love of learning, George earned his master’s in taxation from USC in 2010, all while continuing to work long hours and be an amazing husband and father.

After working for other people for many years, George left his partnership in 2012 and started his own CPA firm. After three years of renting office space, his wife Karen suggested they build an office in the backyard and thus, the corporate headquarters of Diem CPA, Inc. was established just a short 50 foot walk across his backyard and over the koi pond bridge. He commented many times over the years of how it was the perfect set up, not only for him, but for his whole family and of course his beloved cattle dog, Cooper.

George had many loves, first and foremost was his family. He did everything for the love of his wife and kids and always put their needs first. He always made time for his mother, especially after his father passed away six years ago. Last October, he and his brother Steve drove out to Michigan to visit their mother, a trip that will forever remain a precious memory. George was also extremely compassionate and volunteered in his spare time to take house bound senior citizens to doctor’s appointments and the grocery store.

George had a LOT of hobbies over the years including hang gliding, reading tons of non-fiction books, learning to roller blade with his kids, building a dune buggy and thinking up inventions and business opportunities (if only his wife wouldn’t have rolled her eyes when he said he wanted to create a pizza restaurant that operates like Subway long before they started popping up all over the place). He also loved to work on projects around the house including digging a 5,000-gallon koi pond, armed with only a pickax and shovel. He and his youngest daughter, Heather, shared a love of playing and collecting guitars, listening to music and attending concerts. With his oldest, he shared many hiking and birdwatching adventures. He truly loved the outdoors and went on many camping trips with his family to the central coast, the Sierras and their favorite spot, Yellowstone. To really get in touch with nature and feed his soul, George got into backpacking and made many trips through the Sierras. His two longest adventures were a 100 mile trek on the John Muir Trail and a 170 mile trip around Lake Tahoe. While George was always into staying fit, it was in the last year and a half of his life that he started working out with a personal trainer and attained the best physical shape of his life, proudly bench pressing a personal best of 310 pounds.

There is not a single person who knew George that wasn’t touched by his kind spirit, his amazing sense of humor, his ability to always remain calm and know the perfect thing to say to put everyone at ease. Upon his passing, his wife called to notify his clients, many of which cried on the phone with her. It’s not often that a company looks forward to someone arriving to do their audit, but with George, everyone looked forward to seeing him. He would often say, “I don’t know how I’ll ever retire because they are not just my clients, they are my friends.”