Obituary of Georgette L. DeGeorge

Georgette Lydia DeGeorge of Fort Washington, PA passed away peacefully on May 27, 2021. She was 94. The daughter of William and Jeanne Arnold Weiner, Georgette was born in Villingen, Germany on January 25, 1927. At age 3, Georgette and her family relocated to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and then to Phillipsburg, NJ where she completed elementary and high school. As the country’s supply of nurses became depleted by WWII, Georgette became part of the Cadet Nurse Corps, completing her training at St. Agnes School of Nursing in Philadelphia in 1947. The young nurse accepted work with the Visiting Nurse Association, traversing south Philadelphia in the traditional cap and cape. On June 5, 1948, she married Robert DeGeorge, an Air Force veteran and budding computer program developer. They had three children, Mark, Denise and Mercedes. In the early 60s, Georgette matriculated at West Chester University, completing a Bachelor’s Degree while working as a school nurse in the Philadelphia School System. She followed that with a Masters Degree in Health Education, which she received from Beaver College in 1977. In retirement, Georgette enjoyed German language instruction, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Opera. She joined the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Society, and Iris to raise money for the needy. Summers were spent reading and offering hospitality at her home in Cape May. When she became a member of the Fort Washington Estates Community, she volunteered with the Library and Movie Committees. A member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, for many years she made it a daily practice to attend Mass. Characterized in her high school yearbook as “sparkling as champagne”, Georgette was at her best when she was dressed to the nines, in the company of cousins and friends, enjoying music, fine food and drink. She required little sleep, drank coffee before bed and outpaced everyone in the family with her energy and drive. Georgette was preceded in death by her husband Robert (1986). She is survived by her three children, her daughter-in-law Mary Beth DeGeorge and her son-in-law Ron Gruici. Her grandchildren are Zachary DeGeorge, Nora DeGeorge, Glen DeGeorge (Rachel), Greg DeGeorge, Gavin Smith and Colleen Smith