George Angelo Kopitas
October 21, 2024 – 11:30am cst
George Angelo Kopitas, age 50, fell asleep suddenly, on October 10, 2024, in Chester Springs, PA. Beloved husband of Helen (Spiros) for 18 years. Devoted father of Evan and Marina. Cherished son of Angelo and Rena (Angelopoulos) Kopitas. Dear brother of Speros (Jenna) and fond uncle of his nieces Lauren and Ava. Loving son in law of Maria Spiros (and the late Dino Spiros). Dearest brother in law to several relatives and uncle to many nieces and nephews. Beloved Godfather, nephew and cousin to many family members in the United States, Greece, Australia and Canada. Devoted friend and co-worker to many all over the world.
George was born on August 8, 1974 in Evergreen Park, Illinois, then raised in Palos Hills, Illinois where he spent his childhood. He spent countless hours at home playing Uno, Dungeons & Dragons, and various video games with his brother Speros and their cousins and friends. George often traveled with his family to Greece, Canada and Florida and enjoyed spending time with his grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.
George attended Koraes Elementary School at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church where he received his nickname “Kopita”. He had a tremendous love for Christ and began to serve as an altar boy at a very young age. After graduating 8th grade in 1988, he attended Marist High School where he finished at the top of his class in 1992. He continued to serve in the altar assisting with various church needs and preparations required for services and sacraments as well as participating in the planning, implementation and organization of the annual Junior Olympics and church festival. Additionally, George was an integral part of the Ecumenical Patriarchal Visit in North America in 1990 where he volunteered, traveling all over the country. After graduating high school, George attended the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign where he was also involved in the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF). He readily offered classmates rides to church and happily cooked meals during times of fellowship and holidays when others were unable to return home. His nickname in college was “Gramps”. George graduated with honors in 1997 with two Bachelor of Science degrees, double majoring in Biology and Chemistry followed by a Master of Science degree in 1999.
George was instilled with a very strong work ethic from a very young age. In addition to helping at church, he assisted at his family’s restaurant, Dutchie’s in Evergreen Park, by cleaning tables, vacuuming, managing the register and working the front of the house. When his father became ill at the age of 52, George traveled every weekend from the U of I to assist with the business and aid his mother and family with various household needs. He was a selfless young man who carried a large responsibility yet always did it with a smile and this tenderheartedness and thoughtful consideration continued throughout his life.
As a child, George had an affinity and love for New York City and always desired to live on the East Coast. He was an avid New York Yankees fan and after he graduated from the U of I, he took his first job at Pfizer in Connecticut as a technician. He continued to work up the corporate ladder in the field of BioTechnology working in sales at Dharmacon, Affymetrix, Cellular Dynamics and most recently Mission Bio in San Francisco, California, where he served as Vice President of Sales and Customer Support for the last 7 years. George was looking forward to beginning his new role as VP of Sales for Metabolon in North Carolina when God called him home.
George married the love of his life Helen (“the girl next door”) on October 8, 2006 surrounded by hundreds of family and friends after getting reacquainted at a Young Adult League conference in New York City in 2004. They moved to Weehawken, New Jersey where both of his children were born. They settled in Exton, Pennsylvania for a few years before returning to Palos Hills, Illinois, where he served as a parish council member at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, also participating on the school board for his beloved Koraes School. The East Coast again called his name and George and Helen ultimately settled in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania where they raised their family with an emphasis on instilling the love of Christ, faith, Christian morals, teachings and values. George was an active member of St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church in Broomall, Pennsylvania where he served the parish and her many needs volunteering at the annual festival, various fundraisers, feeding the homeless and serving as a Parish Council Member and Secretary of the Board.
George was a humble, genuine, compassionate, intelligent, patient and kind husband, father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. He was a man of few words who could light up a room with his deep and gentle blue eyes, infectious smile and his hearty and contagious laugh (along with the clap!). He always put the needs of others before his own. His children Evan and Marina were his pride and joy and when not traveling for work, George only desired to be home with his family. He thoroughly enjoyed cooking and grilling, doing yard work, reading scripture and various Christian books, going out to dinner, listening to Greek music, attending Yankees games and watching reruns of Seinfeld, Young Sheldon with Marina and Yankees games with Evan on TV. He enjoyed sharing a glass of wine with his wife, while sitting outside on the patio, slow dancing in the kitchen and assisting her with cooking, and household projects and repairs. George thoroughly loved and helped his children with homework, reading the daily epistle and gospel readings and listening to Byzantine hymns while driving to church on Sunday mornings and holidays. Lastly, George loved to travel, often returning to visit his family in Illinois. He cherished family vacations to Florida and Greece and multiple trips to New York City and the Northeast. George adored visiting the Jersey Shore most especially Ocean City and Sea Isle City on a regular basis and was looking forward to traveling to Greece next summer.
George was extremely loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed. We were truly blessed to have him in our lives surrounded by his love, faith, compassion, humbleness, selflessness, patience and genuine kindness. May his memory be eternal. Orrico Kourelis Funeral Services Inc. entrusted with all arrangements.
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