George Paz August 27, 1955 - October 23, 2022

George Paz

George Paz unexpectedly passed away on Sunday, October 23, 2022.  George was 67 years old.  He was married for over 20 years to Melissa Oster Paz.

George was the son of Geronimo Paz and Colleen May Hart Paz, brother to Heronimo (Barbara) Paz and father to Stacy (Keith) Paz Burnett, Kelly (Robert) Meyer and Becky (Darnell) McClaney.

Beloved grandfather to Maeva, Eli and Gabriela Herbert-Paz, Annabelle and Gwyneth Meyer, Madison Paz, Lily and George McClaney and Skylar and Carter Burnett.

Son-in-law to Ron and Marilyn Oster; Brother-in-law to Becky (Con) Lane, Ron (Samantha) Oster and Tony (Lauren) Oster; Dear uncle to Con, Libby, Joe, Jack, George and James Lane, and Charlie and Ellie Oster; and good friend to countless.

George inspired and enriched the lives of many, and left a lasting legacy through his mentorship, philanthropy and acts of service.  George was extremely humble and very understated for all that he accomplished.

George was very active in the community and had a passion for promoting education. He was a long-time chairman of Logos School. He served as a Trustee for St. Louis University. He was the immediate past chair of the UMSL Chancellor’s Council and was a member its Executive Committee. He was a former Trustee for Washington University in St. Louis. In addition, George left a footprint in North St. Louis County.  He was a strong supporter of Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Siteman Cancer Center, among many other non-profit organizations. George was past Director of the St. Louis Police Foundation.

George was an avid golfer, enjoyed hiking and skiing in Colorado, spending time with family – especially his beloved grandchildren – and traveling to the world’s finest golf courses, especially Pebble Beach. George enjoyed fine dining, reading historical biographies, cheering on the Blues and the Cardinals with his wife and best friend, Melissa.

For nearly two decades, George Paz led Express Scripts as it became the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager through a business model of alignment that delivered better, more cost-effective health outcomes for millions of people. George joined Express Scripts in 1998 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and became President in 2003. In 2005, he was named Chief Executive Officer and the following year was elected Chairman of the Board. George retired from his role as Chief Executive Officer in 2016 and remained as Chairman until Express Scripts merged with Cigna in December 2018.

Prior to joining Express Scripts, George was a partner at Coopers and Lybrand, LLP (now PwC), and served as CFO and Executive Vice President for Life Partners Group, Inc.  George began his professional career in the Investment Accounting Department of General American Life Insurance Company while he finished his degree in the evenings.

George served as member of the board of directors for Honeywell International Inc., and Prudential Financial and a former Director and Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.  He was past-president of Civic Progress.

George held a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Memorial donations in his name may be sent to the following organizations or any of the charities mentioned that meant so much to him:

Services:  A Memorial and Celebration of life will be held on Sunday, November 20th at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO  63121-4400.  Doors open at 2:00 p.m. with the service beginning at 3:00 p.m.  Lot E and the main entrance is on the east side of the building.  Please give yourself plenty of time before the service to park.