Obituary of George Thomas Elie

George Thomas Elie departed on Friday, February 24, 2017 after spending over a month fighting the complications of a severe blood borne illness and related health complications. He was 85 years old. George, son of Thomas and Konstantina Eliopoulos, was born on January 13, 1932 in Salem, Massachusetts. His brother Andrew, and his sisters Mary, Louise and Elizabeth predeceased George. Helen Elie, George’s wife, passed away on October 29, 2013. While George grew up in Massachusetts, his college experience was at the University of Michigan studying metallurgy. His interest in science and technology led to a career in manufacturing semiconductors. This career started at RCA where he met his wife Helen and jointly held semiconductor design patents. After RCA, George proudly working at various locations for IBM, finishing his career by manufacturing semiconductors for IBM mainframe computers. George loved to work with his hands, often tackling home and auto repair tasks that most people would pay others to do. He and Helen would spend hours each week working outside in their yard. George always enjoyed time with his family and being around other people. After his wife passed, George lived in a memory care facility due to Alzheimer’s. Despite this disease destroying his memory, George’s compassion, positive spirit and love for others remained visible to all who interacted with him. Even during his heroic and painful struggle in the last month of his life, his positive attitude and love for others never waivered and so many of the hospital staff made a special effort to note his amazing attitude. His final words before passing were to thank God for all that was given to him. We thank God that he was given to us. His three children, Denise Brown of Portland, Oregon, Mark Elie of Ashburn, Virginia, and Bryan Elie of Bethesda, Maryland, his six grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and his and numerous nieces and nephews survive George. A public viewing for George is at the Adams-Green Funeral Home in Herndon, Virginia on Friday, March 3, 2017 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. George’s funeral Mass, officiated by Father Richard Guest at Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Ashburn, VA is on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at 11 a.m. A private interment will be held at a later date.