Michael (Mina) George
Beloved son, father, grandfather, and brother Michael (Mina) George, age 63, a resident of Erie passed away unexpectedly Sunday May 30, 2010 at Hamot Medical Center. Mina was born in Erie on November 17, 1946, the son of Agnes Simon George and the late Ivan George. Mina was a 1964 graduate of East High School where he played football, water polo, and baseball. He then played baseball for his father at Gannon University where he graduated with a B.A. in social studies in 1974. He was currently a social studies teacher at Girard High School and also was the head football coach as well as their track coach and senior class advisor. Mina began his storied coaching career at Kanty Prep leading them to the District 10 championship in 1979. In 1980 he moved to Cathedral Prep and in 1986 won the first of seven consecutive district titles. At Prep, he became their all time winningest coach with a record of 131-44-2 from 1980 to 1995. Then in 1996 he took over the coaching position at Girard High School and turned that program into a winner having won or shared three Erie County League titles. He is Erie County's winningest high school football coach with a combined record of 230-126-2 and was honored in 1991 as the Pennsylvania High School Coach of the Year. This month he was slated to be inducted into both the Pennsylvania Football Coaches Hall of Fame as well as the Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Besides his mother, Mina is survived by a daughter Amber Guerra and her fiance Brandon Bradford of Santa Monica, Calif. and a son Owen George and his wife Julie of Asheboro, N.C. He is the brother of Jacqueline George of Studio City, Calif.; Jeanie Ditrich and her husband Michael of Erie; Gary George of Greer, S.C. and Gene George of West Palm Beach, Fla. Mina is also survived by two grandchildren, Ava Guerra and Lia George along with the mother of his children, Carol George, and his fiance, Louise Vogt. Friends are invited to call at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity, 251 East Front St., Wednesday from 12:00 noon until 9:00 p.m. and are invited to attend Funeral Services there Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Burial will be in St. John the Divine Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church's Endowment Fund or to the Alzheimer's Association , 1128 State St., Suite 301, Erie, PA 16501. Arrangements by the John J. Quinn Funeral Home, West 9th & Liberty St.
Kathryn and I went and added our flowers to the football field yesterday but little Katie still is having a hard time believing it. I know she said that once she got to school today and saw him gone it would hit. I think that we all need to pray for the seniors at Girard High School right now because not only are they getting ready to graduate this week but Mr. George was an amazing teacher and was in charge of the graduation this year. Its going to be very hard on a lot of them. I know it is shocking to me and I haven't had Mr. George in over 8 years now. He will be greatly missed by everyone!
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