George A. Risi Sr. passed away peacefully Monday, January 28, 2013, surrounded by his loving family at his home in Fayston, Vermont.
George was born on March 25, 1948, in Camden, New Jersey, to Leroy and Josephine Risi. George grew up in Vineland, New Jersey, and graduated from Vineland High School in 1966. He studied at Rowan University and earned an MA in educational psychology and a BA in math.
George married Deborah (Hitchcock) on May 11, 1985. They were married 27 wonderful years. Their family was perfected by the joyful addition of children George and Jenn.
George recently worked at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont, as a senior project manager. He had a prior position at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland, for many years as the information technology director. He was admired by many as a great boss and a greater friend.
George was an avid skier and was a past president of the Fall Line Ski Club, traveling around the U.S. with an abundance of great friends. His family would never tire of his stories of his ski adventures. During the summers he enjoyed boating, water skiing and cheering for his beloved (and hated) New York Yankees. George and his friends and family were blessed with countless summers camping and waterskiing on the Maurice River in South Jersey.
Nothing gave George more pleasure and pride than cheering from the sidelines of the various sports events his beloved children enjoyed. One cannot even calculate the hours he devoted to the sidelines of athletic fields, horse show venues and steep mountain slalom runs. He was often seen giving copious amounts of encouragement, or fixing an equipment problem, or speaking softly to calm Jenn's horse between show events.
George will be sadly missed by Debbie, George Jr. and Jenn, and his many friends and family. He leaves his Aunt Virginia (Louis) Cook of Tybee Island, Georgia; cousins Beth Cook of Sellersville, PA, and Steven (Pat) Cook of Savannah, Georgia; sisters-in-law Donna Massey of Whiting, NJ, and Gail (Ron) Wright of Delran, NJ; nieces Lauren and Emily, and nephew Keith. Also lifetime friends Rich Pattie, Julia Robin, Steve Guessford, Joanne and Wayne Schofield, Frank and Patti Mackie, Bernie Khoury and many others.
In keeping with George's wishes, there will be no services scheduled. The family will be celebrating his life privately. Interment will be in Millville, NJ. Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association at Americanheart.org. The family would appreciate any words of comfort be directed to Debbie's email,
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