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George Wrenn Obituary
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George was also a lifelong learner and a leader in the field of cybersecurity, to which he dedicated over 20 years and contributed many publications, speeches, and patents. He graduated from Harvard College and was a longtime MIT graduate fellow. He was the founder and prior CEO of CyberSaint Security and ZenPrivata, and prior CSO at Schneider Electric. George also served his community as a USAF/Aux Pilot and Officer, where he was 1st Lieutenant and received a National Commander's Commendation Award for outstanding duty performance.
He leaves behind his father George L. Wrenn of Quincy, his beloved wife Laura V. Wrenn of Acton, his two sons Xavier G. Wrenn of Hamden and George L. Wrenn III of Somerville, his brother Jimmy Wrenn of Gloucester, and scores of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. The funeral and interment will be private. Visiting hours will be Thursday, June 13th from 9:30-11:30am at the Keefe funeral home in Cambridge. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to St. Jude's Hospital for Children.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Rafi Yahalom
July 21, 2025
Miss you George...
Greg Rotatori
October 1, 2024
So sorry to learn of George's passing. We worked together at Thomson Reuters and stayed in contact over the years. May his memory be a blessing. My condolences to his family and friends.
Catherine Gaffney
June 19, 2024
George you have a place in all our hearts. You will always be my little brother. I'm thinking of the time I was a chaperone at your school field trip. You loved the gator farm and we're proud to call me your big sister.
Dave Furneaux
June 17, 2024
George leaned forward in life and explored the art of possible. He saw around the corner and developed a knowing of what was "to come". He connected this heightened intuition with grounded play whether it was with yoga, music, flying, martial arts, motorcycles, surfing or just being surrounded by people he cared about and creating laughter and play. Mostly, though, I found George to be truly caring. He cared about us all and we all felt "it". I will reply miss you George around "here" but know you're "there" in all of you glory!
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Kudsia Kaker
June 17, 2024
Deeply saddened to learn of George's passing. I have many fond memories of our time working together when he was at Schneider. His energy was contagious, always bringing a positive atmosphere wherever he went. George's kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity were qualities that made him not just a great client, but also a truly good person. His feedback was so constructive and thought out, it really helped improve my work.
May his loved ones find comfort in the cherished memories you shared with George, and may his spirit continue to inspire us all. Kudsia, Ravi and the QG Media Team
Javed Ikbal
June 16, 2024
George was a colleague and dear friend. Whip-smart, kind, sense of humor, all out renaissance man. My sincere condolences to his loved ones.
Reid Leonard
June 14, 2024
Im very saddened to hear of George´s passing. We flew together several times on CAP missions. I always admired his skill, sharp wit and sense of humor. Definitely an "all-in" guy! I recall speaking with George one day after a winter nor´easter was only slightly winding down as he was heading out to the NH coast to do some storm surfing.
Vijay M
June 13, 2024
With deep sadness, we remember George Wrenn, my mentor, who gave me so much. From the moment I joined the Cybersecurity program, George was there, helping me succeed, challenge the status quo, and strategize for crucial meetings. I still cherish the memories of the security conference in Houston, where he introduced me to the best minds in the field. George made every team outing fun, whether at rodeo shows or baseball games. One of our most memorable experiences was escaping Trapology Boston together-a memory that will forever bring a smile to my face.
Even after he left Schneider Electric, George continued to check in on me with brotherly Love, offering unwavering support during my toughest times. Our conversations over clamaries at BG Westford are etched in my memory, where we discussed everything under the sun. George went above and beyond, spending entire days writing letters of recommendation for my MBA applications and even calling Chicago Booth to ensure they were received. The thought of returning to Westford Cornerstone Square without him fills me with profound emptiness.
George´s belief in people and his willingness to help were unparalleled. His guidance and kindness have left an indelible mark on my life and the lives of many others. Rest in peace, George. Your legacy lives on in me and all the lives you touched.
Jim Olsen
June 13, 2024
ZenPrivata announced today that one of its founders, George Wrenn, has passed away. We are all heartbroken, and he will be deeply missed. When I first met George about 15 years ago, I was playing music at a local venue in Concord. As a fellow musician, he shared my passion for guitar playing and we hit it off right away. I was struck by what a large personality he had, and his exuberance was contageous. We were mere acquaintances for a few years before I asked him to join me over coffee when we ran into each other one night, and I asked him to share his story. He told of his early, aimless, humble days, and his unique journey that led to him to Harvard then MIT. I was dumbfounded by the story of his journey, and the his innumerable successes.
When I bagan working at Idemia in biometric security sales, George took note, and when he founded his first startup, we discussed a possible role, and I did a lttle work for him then. When he founded Leto Security, I joined his team, and again, when he founded ZenPrivata, we got together to talk about how I could help. Although he acknowledged my strengths and had a vision for how I could contribute, in truth, he was really the one helping me. George gave me oppotunities to grow and build a company from the ground up, so I am eternally indebted to him. Good leaders like George show us how to value the inputs of others, and how to make the most of opportunities they bring with them.
If I could bring even half his zeal to half of what I do, I'd still be ahead of the game. Thank you, George, for everything.
Jeff Cornelius
June 13, 2024
Deepest sympathies to all whom George touched as I know (I'm one of those), a deep loss is felt. I've known George for years in the Cyber field and not only did he make a significant impact in business, but he made an even greater impact with his kindness, gentleness and enormously generous personality. I'm going to miss my friend.....
Krissy Fitzgerald
June 13, 2024
In loving memory of a truly kind and thoughtful man,
I will never forget the night of one snowstorm. I was sitting in my car, apprehensive about stepping out into the deep snow to make it to our meeting. Without hesitation, George came over, assessed the situation, and offered to carry me across the snow banks. With a reassuring smile, he picked me up piggy-back and safely brought me into the room. It was a simple act of kindness, but it spoke volumes about who George was-a man with a big heart, always ready to help others.
His zest for life was impressive. George´s thoughtful, caring nature left a lasting impact on me. He will be missed, but his legacy of kindness will live on in my heart.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
Fred Cohn
June 13, 2024
I am struggling to put into words the impact George had on Schneider Electric and me personally. When George came to Schneider, he gave me a crash course on cybersecurity. George taught me early about "drinking from the fire hose". He was a visionary yet he embraced our small team, was patient with us, and brought us on the journey. I am eternally grateful for all I learned from George.
But George was about so much more than work. George made sure we always had fun. As we processed this sad news, we fondly remember all the great times we had traveling, going to concerts, eating in great restaurants, and some of smoking cigars. George always made sure the work was complemented with fun. And boy did we have fun. I think George´s toughest challenge wasn´t to secure Schneider products (which he succeeded), but it was to get me on a surfboard (which was one of his few failures). Sorry, George, it just wasn´t meant to be.
I am also eternally grateful that George introduced me to the MIT community who have been so welcoming to me. George introduced me to (IC)3, gave me a tour of the campus, and of course introduced me to the "fire hose". The learnings and the friendships from that community are all because of George´s insistence on our engagement.
George, thank you for all you´ve done for me, both professionally and personally. You were a colleague, but I considered you more of a friend. I will miss our cigars on my back porch or wherever we went. I will miss you, my friend.
Rafi Yahalom
June 12, 2024
Thank you dear George !
Thank you for all the laughs, for all the fun, for all your amazing energy, great insights and ideas, and excellent contributions and for your outspoken opinions - on all sort of topics.
I am confident that by now, only a few days after you arrived, the state of cybersecurity in heaven is already much improved, as well as the privacy protection, and you probably provided the senior leadership with some valuable insights and recommendations and planned some exciting off-sites.
Thanks for everything George. You were definitely a unique remarkable person. Truly larger than life.
Rest in peace.
I miss you!
The Rafinator
Scott Schlimmer
June 12, 2024
Scott Schlimmer
June 12, 2024
Scott Schlimmer
June 12, 2024
Scott Schlimmer
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Scott Schlimmer
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Scott Schlimmer
June 12, 2024
George was the ultimate mentor. I met him when I had just left the CIA, and he brought me in to do contract work for him at Schneider Electric. We quickly became friends.
He taught me cybersecurity--one of the many things he is an expert on--and sponsored me for the most prestigous cybersecurity certification, which immediately opened up an entire new line of profitable work for me.
Later, he asked me if I wanted to build a software company. I said "Sure, why not?", not expecting much to come of it. So George, Padraic O'Reilly, Ade Lucas, and I stumbled into building CyberSaint from scratch, with zero experience. But I should have known that with George at the helm, 8 years later it would end up being a $50+ million dollar company. (To be fair, Rafi Yahalom was there from the beginning, and he did have experience. George knew how to bring together a great team!)
Not to rest on his laurels, George asked me to build a consulting firm with him. The covid pandemic got in the way, but we were able to build a decent little cybersecurity consulting firm to help us pay our bills for some time.
Finally, he and I built another software company, ZenPrivata, which is still in its early stages. I hope to continue building this company in his honor, which is what he'd have wanted.
George loved startups. He loved imagining what was possible and then working toward creating it. We often would joke about how corporate jobs were not for us, and that we could never go back and work a typical job.
George also loved offsites. For these, we would go somewhere fun and rent a house and work hard during the day, and then go out to eat and hang out and watch TV or movies at night. Often the movies were terrible, but hilarious. And it was the company that was the key. We accomplished a lot during these offsite sprints, but we also had a lot of fun. George loved having everyone around, and it was great for team-building.
When George passed, I reached out to the many, many people in our network who would want to know. It was a tiring task because there were so many people who liked him and cared about him.
I wouldn't be where I am today, if not for George. He was a great person and a great friend. I'll miss him very much.
My heart goes out to Xavier, George Jr., Laura, and the many friends and family who will miss him.
Best wishes to you all and please try to be bold and do something great for the world in George's honor.
Photo 1: The ZenPrivata team at an offsite.
Rodrigo Campos Cervera, Me, George
Photo 2: Part of the early CyberSaint team at a Red Sox game.
George, Alison Furneaux, Me, Padraic O'Reilly
Photo 3: George and I in Los Angeles setting up one of CyberSaint's first major customers
Photo 4: George being a goofball, which he loved being
Photo 5: George and I at Walden Pond, fishing the way George knows best
Betzalys García
June 12, 2024
I met George when I came to work for the company he co-founded, he was incredibly smart and funny and very kind, and I came to admire him a lot. I'll be always thankful to him for giving me a little space in his company, and I'll cherish the memories of working under his leadership. My condolences to his family and loved ones, may you find comfort and strength in this difficult time.
JoZeph Zaremba
June 12, 2024
Laura I am so sorry for you and your family´s loss. Sending you love Z
Ronald Orr
June 12, 2024
Ronald Orr
June 12, 2024
Ronald Orr
June 12, 2024
On one of our many adventures, George and I climbed Mt. Monadnock. George had spontaneously called me that morning to spend a glorious day outside. On the way up the mountain, we encountered a mother and daughter on the edge of the trail in obvious distress. We were told the daughter had badly sprained her ankle. George jumped into action, removed his belt and fashioned a splint so the daughter could hobble back down the mountain. After our climb, the daughter had left him a thank you letter in the ranger station, along with George's belt. She said it was just what she needed to successfully make it back down.
This little story defined George. I will always remember him as a high-energy, enormously resourceful guy with a big, generous heart.
Aaron S
June 12, 2024
His energy, passion, and enthusiasm! It was so hard not to notice and something I will always remember about him.
Next time I get out on the board I´m going to ride one for you brotha!
Aaron
Aaron S
June 12, 2024
Craig Robbins
June 12, 2024
Craig Robbins
June 12, 2024
Craig Robbins
June 12, 2024
Craig Robbins
June 12, 2024
George was a very kind and thoughtful person who I admired very much! Always willing to help someone in anyway he could.
George started out as a customer but quickly became a friend as we both shared a love of Motorcycles.
Every moment I spent with George was filled with intensity and laughter. I will miss you my friend!!!
Michael Pyle
June 12, 2024
George was full of life and energy, and smart and capable in so many areas. I enjoyed my time working with him, he encouraged me and inspired me to expand my own knowledge. Above all, George was a friend. He did all things with integrity and I knew he always had my back. He will be missed by so many. I am so sorry for your loss.
Vijay kamat
June 11, 2024
George was an expert in multiple domains each being so different. RIP George, will miss you. Regards Vijay kamat
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