John George Georgelas

GEORGELAS
JOHN GEORGE GEORGELAS

Colonel, USA (Ret.)

A Hero in War and Peace

JOHN GEORGE GEORGELAS, 89, of Mclean, Virginia, in the company of his loving wife and family, died of natural causes in Arlington, Virginia on January 14, 2007.

Born in the coal country of Utah in 1917 and educated at the University of Utah, the Colonel entered the United States Army in 1940 as a commissioned officer.

During World War II he participated heroically in the European theater of operations. As a member of General George S. Patton's Third Army, Colonel Georgelas fought his way from Casablanca to Tunisia, Sicily, Anzio, Naples, Rome, Southern France, Ardennes-Alsace, and Germany including Munich and Berteschgaden.

His military decorations were many including the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star with device for Valor, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal together with numerous campaign ribbons.

In 1946 following the war, Colonel Georgelas returned to the U.S, where he married Angelina Floor Georgelas. His Army career subsequently took the Colonel and his family throughout the United States and around the world. His many postings included California, Oklahoma, Kansas, Greece, South Korea, Spain and Washington, DC, where he finally settled. In Washington, he served at the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 1964, on nights and weekends, Colonel Georgelas and his wife started a home-building company in McLean, Virginia. His company, over the next three decades, built many award-winning homes in the Northern Virginia area, primarily in Mclean. He established a reputation for being the pre-eminent builder of the finest custom homes in Northern Virginia.

As a natural progression of his home-building expertise and drawing upon his unique talents in the real estate industry, Colonel Georgelas commenced residential land development in the McLean area in 1973. His subdivisions are among the most prestigious in the Washington, DC area. To this day, his company is carrying on his legacy with residential development projects in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and in Delaware.

In further expansion of his businesses, Colonel Georgelas' companies embarked upon commercial real estate development in 1978. These endeavors grew and have resulted in the creation of millions of square feet of office, retail, and industrial projects in the Washington area. Included in this are many significant office projects in Tysons Corner, Virginia with additional office development in that market continuing today.

Internationally, the global reach of the companies which Colonel Georgelas founded extended to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Guam, and Russia. Today his companies have significant developments underway in France.

He loved to travel which he did extensively. As recently as October 2006 he journeyed with his extended family to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest continuing on to the island of Crete to visit his ancestral home.

Colonel Georgelas is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Angelina Floor Georgelas; sons, Theodore (Rachel Sampson), Timothy (Martha Karas) and Anthony (Carol Crandall) and daughter-in-law, Vickie Jacobson the wife of his son, the late Thomas Georgelas. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to call from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17 at Murphy's Funeral Home, 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia. There will be a prayer service that night at 7 p.m.

The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 18 at St. Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church at 3149 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church, Virginia. Immediately following the funeral ceremony there will be a reception at the church hall. Interment will be at a date to be announced in the future at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church.