Raychel Ruth George

Raychel Ruth “Mad Hatter” George, 43, of Topeka, passed away from this world and into the waiting arms of her heavenly Father on Monday, July 22, 2024.

She was born July 28, 1980, in Salina, Kansas, the daughter of Lee Edwin and Charlene Maxine (Bixby) Henderson. She graduated from Silver Lake High School in Silver Lake, Kansas.

Mrs. George was a member of the Topeka Bible Church, where she was very involved in the children’s ministries and leading them to a life in Christ.

Raychel married James Alan “The GYPSY” George on August 01, 2020, in Topeka, Kansas. He survives. Together they owned and operated Artist Alley Studio Tattoos and Piercings in Topeka, Kansas.

Other survivors include her only child and son, Levi Smith, her father Lee “Joker” Henderson, her grandmother Norma Louise Faulk-Henderson, brother Tom Henderson and sisters Belinda and Angela Henderson, and stepmother Brenda Henderson. She is also survived by her uncles Eric Henderson and Arlyn “Frog” May and her aunts Vicki Henderson, Mary Lou May and Barbie May-Long. Raychel also has several cousins who are just like brothers and sisters to her. These include Carmen Henderson-Seusy, Gloria “Bug” Henderson, April May-Shields, Caleb May, Eli May and their spouses Grant Seusy, Justin Shields, Sarah May and Janie May. Raychel also has several second cousins that mean the world to her Max Seusy, Eva, Lyla, and Roman Shields, Hannah, Abigal, Noah, Ada, James and Elizabeth “Libby” May as well as Hazel, Lucy, Henry, Mildred “Millie” and Juergen “George” May. She also had two stepbrothers Bronson and Brady Farmer.

She is also survived by numerous extended family members which include; Renee, Grant and Andrea Compton, Chistopher George and his wife Loni Lozano, Sarah, Gordon, Jack and Adam Pitts, Michael Sr., Denisha, Michael Jr. and Nikolas Brady who loved her and who she loved back.

Raychel is also survived by a multitude of friends that she had a great love for and who loved her in return. She never met a stranger, and she made a positive impact on everyone she ever met and left a lasting impression of joy and light.

She was preceded in death by her mother Charlene Maxine Bixby-Henderson-Aubert, her grandmother Maxine Faye Reamer-Bixby and her grandfather Ray Joseph Bixby (who Raychel was named after) and Grandfather Floyd Edwin Henderson.

Raychel enjoyed working with children and teaching them the joy of creativity and art. Raychel was a child magnet and the children were drawn to her bright smile, infectious laugh and huge heart (as were many adults). She would see a baby and squeal with joy, “Oh look a squishy!” She would then approach the baby and say, “I bet you taste like marshmallows”, which would always bring a smile to the baby’s face. She was able to relate to children of all ages on their level and the children loved her for it.

Raychel was an accomplished and nationally recognized award-winning portrait artist. She would often do memorial portraits free of charge in pencil, colored pencil, ink or charcoal for people who had lost a child or a loved one under tragic circumstances. She saw it as her way of giving back the numerous blessings she had been granted to her by her heavenly father.

Raychel’s favorite place in the world was the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Her favorite Artist was Michaelangelo Caravaggio, and her favorite painting was his “John The Baptist” which is part of the Nelson-Atkins collection.

Raychel was proud of her Native American (Citizen Band Potawatomi and Inuit) and her Scottish Heritage. She also embraced her husband’s Romani Heritage adopting the Bumble Bee’s on his Hummel Family Coat of Arms as her own standard.

Raychel embraced all holidays and seasons and celebrated them all with great enthusiasm. She believed in family and felt that holidays and changing seasons brought families closer together.

Raychel loved to cosplay embodying the characters of Joy from “Inside Out”, Disney’s Pocahontas and Ariel, The Little Mermaid. She claimed that she wasn’t a geek, yet she loved Grogu from the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” and Christopher Eccleston as “Doctor Who” and as Destro from the G.I. Joe Series. She also loved most Disney and Pixar Movies. Though ”Not A Geek” she became Co-Executive Director of her husband’s annual event, “TopCon Pop Expo” which ended in 2021 due to the Covid Pandemic.

Raychel loved nature and animals, especially Hippo’s. She supported no kill shelters, and she was overjoyed that her husband was a former zookeeper and had the inside scoop on what made animals tick. She loved her dogs Jarusha, who she called “Roo Roo” (deceased), Kato Kite and Hannah Mae Wiggle Butt, who she called “Mae Mae”. She also loved her cats, Buddy Boodrow Kitty, who she called “Chairman Meow” (deceased) and Cricket Kitty. As well as her goldfish, Fishy Guy (deceased). When Fishy Guy crossed the rainbow bridge Raychel said, “I would have never believed that a fish would make me love him and cry at his passing.”

Raychel loved a wide variety of music and as her physical and mental pain increased and her condition deteriorated, she relied on music to ease the pain. Her favorite songs were “Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd. She felt a connection with Sid Barrett the Pink Floyd Band Member who the song was about and who also suffered from the same mental illness she did. The song was a mirror of her soul and she had the phrase “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” tattooed on her clavicle. She was also fond of “Fly Me To The Moon” By Frank Sinatra which was her and her husband’s love song which they danced to often.

When Raychel was a little girl, her father gave her the nickname “Alice” from a line in the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane “Go Ask Alice When She’s Ten Feet Tall.” She had a larger-than-life attitude and as she grew it became more and more clear that she was less “Alice” and more “Mad Hatter”. When she was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, she embraced the “Alice In Wonderland” story as a reflection of her own struggle with mental illness. Her two favorite quotes from the book were: “You’re mad. Bonkers. Off Your Head… But I’ll Tell You A Secret… All The Best People Are.” and “We’re All Mad Here.” Which she had tattooed on her right elbow.

One of Raychel’s favorite Bible Verses was “I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.” -Phillipians 4:13- Raychel was strong in her faith and in her spirit and forged ahead to do all things refusing to let anything challenge or stop her. Raychel was a fighter, and she fought all the way to the end.

Raychel Ruth George Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at Topeka Bible Church - College Avenue Building, 1135 SW College Avenue, Topeka, KS 66604.

Raychel Ruth George Private Graveside Services - Family and Close Friends Only will be Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Rochester Cemetery, Section 13, Plot 6, 1200 NW Menninger Rd, Topeka, KS 66618.

Memorial contributions may be made to Venmo Account @TheGYPSY or Cash App Account $Ubtat2d.

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