George Philip Ollapally

George Philip Ollapally passed away peacefully on the morning of January 7th, 2016 surrounded by his family. George was born on March 9, 1929 in Peroor, Kerala, India. He was the 5th child from a family of eight, with six brothers and two sisters. As a young boy, he was athletically and academically gifted, and yet maintained a healthy sense of fun (and mischief). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from CMS College in Kerala, India. He also received a Bachelor of Commerce from St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli, Kerala, India. In 1961, after a brief teaching stint at Sacred Heart High School, he decided to explore a new opportunity in leather technology in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Sponsored by a local family, he spent the next eight years mastering both the language and the technology, while developing relationships that lasted a lifetime. In 1969, he took his next step to the United States, to pursue his Masters in Business Administration at George Washington University. Soon after, he accepted a position as an accountant for the Pan American World Health Organization, where he stayed until his retirement. George was handsome and with his dashing good looks and his signature salt and pepper hair, many people compared him to Omar Sharif and even called him, "The Indian Michael Douglas." It wasn't a surprise that he captured the heart of the love of his life. George married his beautiful bride Pennamma (Penny) in 1972, and they have lived in the Washington DC area ever since. Retirement didn't seem to slow George down. A true renaissance man, he never remained idle and fed his unending thirst for knowledge, mastering crafts along the way. To some people, he was George the winemaker, growing grapes in his backyard. To others he was a woodworker who built much of the furniture in the house. If you were lucky, you still may be wearing one of his custom leather belts. While sitting on the deck that he built, you could often see George and his bucket hat, tending to his beloved garden. But above all this, George's true passion was his love of music. He would spend countless hours in his sun drenched music room, listening to his eclectic collection of artists, switching from Beethoven to Bruce Springsteen, from Glen Campbell to Miles Davis. Often times, George would speak to you only in tune, responding to questions with lyrics and embarrassing his children in front of their friends for many years. He was truly a man who was comfortable in his own skin. A devoted husband, uncle, dad and grandfather, George's love for his family was immeasurable, especially for Penny, his wife of 44 years. To his family, he had many names: "George Appapan", "Appacha", "Chettan" and "George Uncle". He was "Georgekutty" to his sister Annamma and brother Philip. He was "Daddy" to his son Geophy, his daughter Priya and his son in law Dave. But his proudest name was that of "Opa", german for grandfather. He meant everything to his grandson Neven and his granddaughter Eva and as many of you know, the feeling was mutual. Auf Wiedersehen George, we will always love you. In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of George Ollapally can be made to St. Jude's Hospital, one of the family's favorite charities. Visitation will be held on January 15th from 4-8pm at Jefferson Chapel Memorial, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, VA. Special prayer service will begin at 6:30pm. A celebration of life service will be held on January 16th at 10:30am at St. Louis Catholic Church, 2907 Popkins Lane, Alexandria, VA.

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George Philip Ollapally

March 9, 1929 - January 7, 2016