Georg U. Simon, a resident of Cheltenham Township, US Army Reserve member, Germany native, and WWII expellee, has passed away

Georg U. Simon, a resident of Cheltenham Township, US Army Reserve member, Germany native, and WWII expellee, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 17 at Jefferson Abington Hospital. He was 87.

According to his obituary, Mr. Simon grew up in Stephansdorf, Germany, in the region of Silesia. The family was forced to relocate to Erlangen, West Germany during the war and emigrated to Philadelphia in 1954.

After graduating from Germantown High School in 1955, Mr. Simon went on to attend the Drexel Institute of Technology where he was a member of Drexel’s 1958 national championship soccer team. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1959 and served in the US Army Reserve until 1966.

Mr. Simon and his wife, Janet, purchased a house in Glenside’s Twickenham Village, where they raised daughters Jeanne and Linda. They joined Carmel Presbyterian Church of Glenside, where Mr. Simon served as a trustee and as church treasurer.

“Georg was full of life and opinions! He never hesitated to strike up a conversation with strangers, servers, or medical professionals,” his obituary said. “He could dig out common interests with anyone, anywhere in the world – especially European fussball (aka soccer) and hockey. Georg was warm and generous, yet he never hesitated to speak up about his convictions. He was proud of his heritage and knew the words to every German song, from hymns to waltzes to drinking songs. In the words of Georg’s favorite chant and farewell: Zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi hoi hoi!”

Services will be held at Carmel Presbyterian Church in Glenside on Saturday, August 24 at 2:00pm, with visitation from 12:30pm – 2:00pm.

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