Gregory Trandel

Athens

Greg Trandel, 52, of Athens, GA passed away Tuesday, October 21, 2014.

A native of Chicago, IL, Greg was the son of Lois Schwerdtfeger Trandel and the late Raymond Trandel and was preceded in death by a brother, Henry Trandel.

Survivors in addition to his mother, include wife, Margaret Jean Trandel; daughter, Elizabeth Treacy Trandel, and sons, Philip James Trandel and Luke Edward Trandel, all of Athens.

Greg graduated from Holy Cross High School in River Grove, IL in 1980 and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1984, where he played the trombone in the marching band. He then earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University. Since 1989, Greg had been a faculty member at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and recently celebrated his 25th year of teaching at the University. Greg was highly regarded as an instructor and had been honored with awards for his teaching.

Greg and Marg met through common friends in Chicago at age 18 and began dating soon after. They married in the summer of 1988 at her childhood church, Saints Peter and Paul in Naperville, IL and moved to Athens in 1989.

Greg’s interests were frequently focused around his family. A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, he participated for many years in Athens Little League as a coach, treasurer, and enthusiastic parent supporting both his sons on the field. Greg was actively involved in Clarke County Public Schools for twenty years, supporting Philip on the Clarke Central Gladiators baseball team and Marg as a teacher in the school district. He served on parent-teacher organizations at Chase Street Elementary, Alps Road Elementary, Clarke Central High School, Clarke Middle School, and Timothy Road Elementary. He was also president of the family’s neighborhood association in Briarcliff Woods.

Greg will be remembered by his family and friends as a devoted fan of the local music scene, frequently attending shows in downtown Athens. He was also a trivia enthusiast, attending trivia nights with friends and volunteering his time reading questions at high school academic tournaments. As anyone who met Greg knew, his love for interesting stories and information was present in all aspects of his life – he loved to learn and share his knowledge with others. He was always reading and asking questions to learn everything that he could.

The family will be welcoming friends at one of Greg and Marg’s favorite local venues, Ciné, at 234 W. Hancock Avenue in Athens on Sunday, November 2nd from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Greg’s honor to AIDS Athens or Ciné.

Online condolences may be offered at www.bernsteinfuneralhome.com.