George Michael Vergonis

George Vergonis, a devoted family man, passionate New York sports enthusiast, and proud New Deal Democrat, whose career in the airline industry enabled him to see the world during and after the Golden Age of Air Travel, died on July 23, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia. He was 91.

George was born on November 17, 1932, in New York City, to Emanuel and Cleo Vergonis, immigrants from Samos, Greece. After a brief return to Samos spurred by the Great Depression, the family settled in Washington Heights. Raised alongside his beloved sisters Athena and Elpinikki by his mother following the premature death of his father, George developed a lifelong passion for politics and New York sports teams. His teenage years were filled with swimming in the East River and sneaking into the Polo Grounds to cheer on the New York (baseball) Giants.

George withdrew from George Washington High School school to enlist in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and later attended Iona College on the G.I. Bill. After Iona, George embarked on a fifty-year career in the commercial airline industry, primarily with Pan American World Airways, where he held various managerial positions at John F. Kennedy International Airport. His tenure at Pan Am gave him the extraordinary opportunity to travel the world at a time when airfares were priced out of reach for ordinary Americans, a privilege he embraced with great enthusiasm.

It was at Pan Am that George met his future wife, Sigrid, then a recent immigrant from Germany. The couple married in 1964 and settled in Briarwood, Queens, where they welcomed their son Christian in 1970. Over the next several decades, George took pleasure in traveling; debating politics; spending time with his mother, sisters, and eleven nieces and nephews in Northern New Jersey; the loyal companionship of his dachshund, Ulfie; attending New York Giants football games with his best friend Pete Zessos; celebrating the 1986 New York Mets; and supporting and encouraging Christian’s studies at Harvard. Following their retirement in 2003, George and Sigrid relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they enjoyed the companionship of close friends until moving to Northern Virginia upon the birth of their first grandchild in 2011.

George is survived by his wife Sigrid, son Christian, daughter-in-law Rosanna McCalips, and two grandsons Connor Christian (12) and Logan Alexander (8), all of McLean, Virginia, as well as by his loving nieces, nephews, and extended family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.