George K. Reese

George K, Reese, Jr., 84, of Potomac, Maryland passed away on December 2nd in Bethesda, MD from complications due to Parkinson’s. George was born on March 13, 1938 to Bernice (Krueger) and George Reese in Chicago, IL.

A proud Chicago native, he grew up in Oak Park and attended Ascension School and Quigley Prep Seminary before moving with his family to Chevy Chase, MD in 1955. He loved taking the “L” to watch his beloved Cubs from the outfield bleachers. After high school, George attended Georgetown University (’59) which was the source of many life-long friendships. While at Georgetown, he served as president of the Washington Club, a social club whose members had a “reputation of being enthusiastic party goers and excellent socialites.”

George met Patricia Wenger, of Bethesda, Maryland at a wedding in 1959 and they were married in 1961 and eventually moved to Potomac where they raised their 6 children. They were married for 61 years and spent most summers in Bethany Beach, DE where they enjoyed playing golf and tennis with an exceptional group of friends. They were active parishioners at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Rockville and St. Ann’s in Bethany Beach. Over the years George poured his time into the community as a member of the Knights of Columbus, a commissioner for South Bethany Beach, co-founder of Bayside Tennis Club in Bethany Beach and the Shepherd Foundation as well as a coach for countless CYO basketball teams for his children. One of his lasting legacies, that he refers to as his “big mistake”, happened when he spoke up at a parent meeting at Ursuline Academy about its closing. This resulted in co-founding the Woods Academy in 1975 and serving as its first president of the board.

Like most men of his generation, George joined the Marines in 1959 as a reservist and served until 1965. The highlight of his time in the Marines was marching behind the casket of President John F. Kennedy during his funeral in 1963.

After graduating from Georgetown, he entered the insurance business with Connecticut Mutual. He was eventually promoted to General Agent and managed the Washington, D.C. office from 1971 until 1988. George helped thousands of families and businesses with their financial planning needs during his career and developed countless lifelong friendships. As a testament to his character, many of his clients would send their children to George for career advice. Later in his career, he launched a pension administration business, CompDesign, followed by a benefit administration business, FlexAmerica with two of his children. He spent the remainder of his career working with former customers and never truly retired from the insurance business saying, “insurance agents don’t die, they just fade away”.

George will be remembered for his caring and positive attitude toward life. He was a devout Catholic and was always generous with his time and humor. A tenacious competitor, he could often be found on the tennis court or golf course. Even in the later stages of Parkinson’s he was kind and humble to his caregivers and believed he could beat the disease and get back on the golf course.

He is survived by his wife Patricia of 61 years and sister Nora McGlaughlin of Bethesda, MD; his 5 children, Kathy (Mike) Laing of Richmond, VA, Suzanne (Paul) Barry of Milton MA, Michelle (Eric) Levey of Marriottsville, MD; George, III (Mary Jane) of Bethesda, MD and Tricia Reese and Craig (Day) of Washington DC.; 21 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter Tracy and brother Mike.

Relatives and friends are invited on Tuesday, December 13th to St Raphael’s Catholic Church in Rockville, MD. A visitation will start at 12:00 p.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12:30 p.m. An internment service will be held at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, MD following the mass.

In Lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at www.parkinsons.org