George Edward Vajda Jr.

George Edward Vajda, Jr., age 70, passed away on September 15, 2017 surrounded by family after a heroic twenty-seven month battle with pancreatic cancer. George is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sonja of Littleton, Colorado; daughters, Karen Bordeaux Vajda of Highlands Ranch, Colorado and Stephanie Vajda of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; son, Brian (Blair) Vajda of Boulder, Colorado; brothers, David (Gay) Vajda of Schereville, IN, Joseph (Pam) Vajda, Michael (Beverly) Vajda and sister, Lynn (John) Haynes, all of Whiting, IN; grandchildren Tyler, Allison and Ashley Bordeaux and Avery Vajda; sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Bertha R. (Caban) and George E. Vajda, Sr.

George was born on November 16, 1946 in Whiting, Indiana. He attended Catholic schools through high school, graduating from Bishop Noll Institute. He went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University as a National Merit Scholar where he obtained a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He was a member of the football team both in high school and college. He received his MBA at the University of Chicago. He was initially employed by Amoco Oil and later worked for a subsidiary, Cyprus Minerals. Through the years he held various positions and traveled extensively. He retired as the Vice President of Western Coal Operations at the age of 53.

After retiring, George enjoyed pursuing his interest in stock market investing. He was an avid reader who read the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Denver Post and numerous investment articles each day in addition to reading a couple of books per week.

He was an outdoor enthusiast and enjoyed skiing at Copper Mountain with his kids and grandkids, and hiking the Fourteeners with his son. He ran the Bolder Boulder numerous times, rode the RAGBRAI (a bike ride across the entire state of Iowa), and completed Ride The Rockies four times, including the year before he was diagnosed. He was often joined by one or more of his children.

George was most passionate about his family and loved spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He had a quirky sense of humor and was always making his family laugh with his witty puns. Also during retirement, George and his wife Sonja enjoyed a number of wonderful trips to Europe and Alaska. When his grandchildren Tyler, Allison, and Ashley each turned twelve years old, they took a week long cruise with each of them, creating special memories that will be cherished forever. Sonja hopes to be able to carry on this special tradition with Avery who just celebrated her second birthday on September 13th.

On September 9th, George and Sonja celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

George was a man of many talents and was highly respected for his integrity, generosity and strength. He will be remembered as a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather and brother who was always generous with his time, talent, and treasure. George will be sorely missed by those who loved him.

Memorial Service to be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary, 6601 S Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121. The Committal Service will be held at 11:00 am in the cemetery with a Celebration of Life Reception to follow at the cemetery pavilion.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation in memory of George. http://www.npcf.us/donate/