George Lucas

George is survived by his wife of 74 years, Jean; his children: Marge (Bill), Cathy (Tony), and Billy; his grandchildren: Marisa (Justin), Serena (Bob), Michael (Debra), Lauren (Corey), Kaylee (Brian) and Eleni (Nebeyu); and his great-grandchildren: Christopher, Connor, Gavin, Keira, Maren, Sofia, Alexis and Adele.

Born in New York City on June 14, 1924 to James and Anastasia Lucas, he grew up in Queens with his brothers, Paul and Nick. As a young man, he played a lot of baseball and almost pitched against Yankee great, Whitey Ford. He joined the Saltus Fencing Club and became an accomplished fencer. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and served from 1942 to 1946 as an aircraft maintenance specialist, attaining the rank of Sergeant. He subsequently worked as a florist, a sous-chef, and a furrier, eventually establishing his own successful business as a furrier.

In 1949, he married the love of his life, Jean. They eventually bought a home in Flushing in 1954. He was very active at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church as a member of the Parish Council and the St. Nicholas Men’s League. He was an active member of AHEPA for over fifty years. George was an avid bowler active in HAMBA, played racquetball into his seventies and golf well into his nineties. A huge sports fan, he was a Detroit Tiger fan, because everyone else rooted for the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers and he shared a first name with Tiger third-baseman, George Kell. He was an original season ticket holder for the NY Islanders.

First and foremost, he loved his family and friends. He loved going to Church on Sundays and afterward taking his whole family out to breakfast. He would come home on a Friday after work and take his family on spur of the moment road trips. Two of his favorite vacation spots were Woodloch Pines (for over 60 years) and Hilton Head Island. He loved to read so much that at age 50, he became an Evelyn Wood speed-reader so he could read even more. George’s favorite activity later in life was to enjoy a nice dinner out with his family and friends at one of his several “chosen” restaurants, where he would enjoy his martini and “shoot the breeze”. He was a kind and generous man who will be missed by everyone.

In lieu of flowers, George's family requests donations be made in his memory to the Disabled American Veterans: https://www.dav.org