When George was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early December, he was resolved to beat the odds. He had already overcome prostate cancer, a heart attack, and even a bum hip. During these most difficult periods of his life, George drew his strength from his faith; he believed that every day is a gift that cannot be wasted. He left this world peacefully on May 31, 2018 with his last breath taken while praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the presence of family and friends.
George Potoczniak was born in Germany to a Ukrainian family on March 13, 1944. He along with his father, mother, and sister, Iryna, were fortunate to find themselves in the British sector of Berlin at the end of the war, which allowed his family to immigrate to the United States and settle in Newark, New Jersey, where he was raised and completed his formal education.
After graduating from Weequahic HS, he attended Newark College of Engineering and received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. Life for George really opened up after commencement: he met the love of his life, Irene, at a Ukrainian Cultural Club event, they married in Newark and moved to New Orleans, where he embarked on a career that would later take him and his family across the United States and abroad.
Over the last five decades, George put his engineering skills to work at numerous companies that included Shell Oil Company (New Orleans, LA), Murphy Oil (Duluth Minn.), and since 1974, in Houston at Brown & Root, Fluor, Huffco, and Kellogg Brown & Root, from where he retired. Some of his assignments were international and included remote places as far as Indonesia. During his time as an expat in Egypt, George developed a keen interest in organizing tours for fellow expats and their families to the many ancient and historic sites of the region. He was thrilled to accompany his wife on tours to religious destinations in Europe. In 1993, a few years after the breakup of the Soviet Union, he established contact and visited with the Potoczniak family in Western Ukraine.
After his retirement, he looked forward to domestic road trips especially visiting West Virginia and Virginia and sampling the wines there as well as eating at authentic BBQ joints along the way. In addition to his hobbies of traveling and wine tasting, his greatest joy was baking and sharing bread with family and friends. For the past 40+ years, like clockwork, he baked traditional Christmas and Easter breads that celebrated his Ukrainian heritage. He took great pride in his gardening, building "Mount Compost" in the backyard, so he could use it to grow a wide variety of herbs, vegetables, fruit trees, and roses. George also participated in the spiritual life at St. Vincent de Paul. He was an active member in the ACTS community, the parish council, and That Man Is You!
George was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He recently celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary, which unfortunately occurred exactly on the day their home of 44 years flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Always the optimist, he even found joy in this tragic experience appreciating the community assistance and support during this event.
George was preceded in death by his parents, Johanna and Michael Potoczniak, and his sister, Iryna Scharunovych. He is survived by his wife of 50+ years, Irene, and three children, Anthony (and Michelle), Lydia (and Ivan Tkachenko), and Adriana (and Eric Estes), and six grandchildren, Aiden, Sofia, Adrian, Harper, Emmanuel, Eva, all of whom live in Houston and have celebrated their lives and accomplishments with him.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in George's name to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Society, 6800 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, Texas 77025. George's family also wishes to express their gratitude for the many doctors and nurses at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center who cared for him and for the prayers and support of the parish community as well as friends and family.
Visitation: Wednesday June 6, 2018, 5-7 pm at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (SVdP)
6800 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77025 with Rosary/Vigil Service at 7 pm.
Funeral Mass: Thursday June 7, 2018, 10 am at SVdP Catholic Church, 6800 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77025.
Following the Mass you are cordially invited to greet the family at a reception in the Monsignor Jamail Family Center located on the church grounds.
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