Mr George (63) had been a policeman for 37 years, serving in Alexandra for the past 25 years.
More than 100 present and former police staff, fire brigade volunteers and Victim Support members formed a guard of honour at the end of the service, which was held at the Alexandra Golf Club pavilion.
Mr George was born in Masterton and raised in Martinborough, joining the army after leaving school. He joined the police in Palmerston North in January 1973 and trained as a dog handler. He served in New Plymouth, then Queenstown and Ranfurly, before shifting to Alexandra in 1985.
As well as serving in the armed offenders squad, and search and rescue, he worked closely with Victim Support and the Air Training Corps. In the later part of his career he was a crime scene officer.
Detective Sergeant Derek Shaw had been his supervisor from 2006 until the senior constable retired at the start of this year, due to ill-health, a year after being diagnosed with cancer.
He described him as the elder statesman of Central Otago policing and said the number of current and former staff who attended the service was a sign of the esteem in which Mr George was held.
Detective Senior Sergeant Colin Blackie, who was his supervisor for a decade, said Mr George was meticulous at a crime scene.
"In his role of scene of crime officer he became known as `Super Dave' in the lower South Island, due to the number of convictions from forensic evidence he found."
Mr George had received police awards when he worked as a dog handler and later for his work on the investigation into the murder of Ranfurly policeman Peter Umbers.
Peter Guest, who followed Mr George as president of the golf club, said he was often the "peacemaker" on golf trips.
"He would look at you over the top of his glasses and you'd know you had gone too far."
"Your golf mates will see you at the 19th again one day."
