George J. Andrews passed away peacefully in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after a long fight with congestive heart failure. He almost reached his 90th birthday and his 64th wedding anniversary. George was born in Chicago, the only child of James and Veneta Andrews, both immigrants from the Peloponnesus, Greece.
His Chicago childhood included lessons in mandolin and violin, modern and ancient Greek, working at his father's restaurants (beginning at age seven), Boy Scouts, altar boy (at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church), movie usher at age 13 (George passed for older because of his height), and ROTC at Senn High School, where he rose to the rank of Major. George entered Illinois Institute of Technology before graduating from high school, then left IIT in his first year to enter the Navy as a Midshipman during WWII. After the war ended, he returned to IIT to finish his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1949; while working as an Instructor in the department, he eventually earned his Master's degree. As a young man in Chicago, George was instrumental in the initial founding of GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America), a youth program for the Greek Orthodox Church that eventually spread throughout the U.S. and was vital to the continuance of the Church in the U.S.
In 1952, George met "the love of his life," Cleo Apostol, and on Valentine's Day in 1953 they married and started their lifelong adventure together. Moving to Los Angeles, George began his career in the aerospace industry at AiResearch, a branch of the Garrett Corporation, eventually settling at Hughes Aircraft Co. for 26 years, achieving the rank of Senior Scientist. He worked on complex projects, including Geosynchronous Communication Satellites and several military satellite programs, many of which were Secret and Top Secret. His final assignment was Program Manager of the Titan-Centaur Program at The Aerospace Corp. George was one of the "founding father" engineers in the state of California, who contributed to major strides within the fledgling aerospace industry of the 1950s and 1960s that eventually led to U.S. space exploration, U.S. national security and the advancement of science. For George, "going to work was fun." He loved the mental stimulation, the advancement of the space industry, and the colleagues who shared his intellectual acumen. His contributions were recognized by his colleagues and the military for saving lives and millions of dollars.
Before he retired in 1991, George had given much time and energy to many organizations. He was a founding member of the Hellenic University Club, Board member of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of Long Beach, and an enthusiastic supporter of both Boy Scouts and Indian Guides. In the early years of the Hellenic American Council, George used his expertise to set up their computerized membership data base. After retirement, George did not stop improving the lives of those around him. As a retiree and a licensed general and air conditioning contractor, he helped friends with their home construction projects and engineered installations of heating and air conditioning systems for over 50 projects; he sold over 35 computer systems and billing software programs to doctors so they could do their own billing. He pursued many interests throughout his life: sailing, stamp collecting, photography, woodworking, travel, movies, and entertaining. His greatest passions were his wife and family. His inclusive, generous nature drew his friends in as family too. The dinner table was his favorite forum for discussing politics, ancient Greek history, WWII events, linguistics, and funny jokes. He loved his state-of the-art hifi stereo system for listening to classical and Greek music.
George is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Cleo; his four children James (Nikki) Andrews, MD, of Manhattan Beach, CA, Mary (Michael) Pappas of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, Susan (Clayton) Seger of Newport Beach, CA, and Stephen (Emily) Andrews of Santa Monica, CA; grandchildren Stacy (Pierre), Michele, Michael, George, Adrian, Lance, Cleo, Christopher, Nicholas, and Alexander; and great-grandchildren Peter and Alexandria. His blue eyes, big smile, capable hands, and kind heart will be missed by us always.
Trisagion service will be held on February 5, 2017 at 7:30 pm and funeral service on February 6, 2017 at 11:00 am, both at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1324 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles. Memorial donations may be made to the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies at LMU or to the St. Sophia Philoptohos. Email Condolences to www.ChapmanFuneralDirectors.com. Chapman Funeral Homes, Toll free (855) 628-0447. Terry & Mary Harmon, Directors.