George Soteropoulos

George T. Soteropoulos, 90, a retired aeronautical engineer and longtime Severna Park, Maryland, resident, died in Chicago on Saturday, March 28, after a stroke.

He was born in Athens to Tryphon and Fani (neé Athanasopoulos) Soteropoulos, and was a child in occupied Greece during World War II. His future career was inspired by an uncle who was one of Greece’s first pilots. George came to Chicago in the 1950s to study aeronautical engineering, and earned several degrees including an MBA.

He returned to Greece for required military service, and due to his language skills was stationed with the Greek embassy in Paris where he met his future wife, Eelkelina “Elly” F.P. Göbel, who worked for the Dutch embassy. He loved to tell the story about how in the summer of 1965, the couple were married three times: once in Chicago with friends; again with Elly’s family at a Catholic church in Arnhem, The Netherlands; and a third ceremony at a Greek Orthodox church in Athens.

The couple settled in Wichita, Kansas, where George worked as an engineer for Cessna and Beechcraft airplane manufacturers, and where their two children were born. The family moved to Maryland in 1985, where George worked for Martin Marietta in Baltimore and the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. His family believes the flying public was always safer under his watchful, critical eye and meticulous attention to details. He retired from the FAA in 2015.

A lifelong air and space enthusiast, George often recounted the powerful impact of watching TV in 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. In that proud moment, he decided to become an American citizen because of the nation’s embrace of technology, science and the spirit of limitless exploration. He was naturalized in 1976 during the Bicentennial, but always remained incredibly proud of the history and culture of his native Greece.

In his spare time, he enjoyed boating on the Magothy River and Chesapeake Bay, and working on older cars.

He is survived by his daughter, Jaqueline Soteropoulos Incollingo (Mark); his son, Andreas “Andy” George Soteropoulos (Liz); grandson Camden Teubner; granddaughters Elly and Penelope Incollingo; and two brothers in Greece. He was predeceased by his wife Elly in 2001.

Visitation will be held at Barranco Funeral Home in Severna Park, Maryland, on Tuesday, April 7 from 9:30-11:30 a.m., and a graveside service will follow at Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland.