Obituary: George Paul Bossick, 1945-2023

George Paul Bossick, 78, of Burlington, Vt., and New Port Richey,
Fla., passed away peacefully on
December 3, 2023, at his home in Florida, with his devoted wife by
his side.

George will be
sorely missed by his family and his many friends. He will be
remembered fondly for his jokes, his fashion sense, his
bargain-shopping acumen, his love of music, and his devotion to food and
cooking. He was fiercely proud of his family, his military service
and his Pennsylvania roots.

George was welcomed
into this world on January 25, 1945, to George and Rose Bossick of Minersville, Pa. He
and his younger sister, Marilyn, grew up in a small mining town among many aunts, uncles,
cousins and other extended family members. He forged his lifelong friendships with Vic
Genovese and Jan Yupcavage, aka “Yuppy,” during his happy
childhood years in
Minersville. He attended Minersville Area High School and graduated
from Nativity BVM High School in Pottsville, Pa. After graduation
from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served on the Iwo Jima
carrier during the Vietnam War. His service in the U.S. Navy brought
him to exotic destinations around the world, but he was always
looking for the perfect plate of homemade pasta
during his shore leaves. He was honored as “Sailor of the Quarter”
by the U.S. Navy during his service.

Thanks to his
service and the G.I. Bill, he enrolled in Goldey-Beacom College in
Wilmington, Del., where aside from being the only fraternity brother
of legal drinking age, he met his future spouse and love of his life,
Sandra Patochek. George and Sandra were married on November 23, 1968.
A year after their union, they welcomed their daughter, Stacey, and
then five years later, their son, Brandon. George finished his BS in
accounting from Elmira College in 1975, while working full time with
IBM. He started his career with IBM in Endicott, N.Y., in 1969. In
1977, his career brought him and his young family to Vermont, and he
remained with IBM Vermont until his retirement in 2007, after 38
years of service.

After retirement, he
got to pursue at least three of his favorite things: golf,
grandparenting and coaching. He and Sandy purchased a condo in Seven
Springs, Fla., in order to escape the cold weather of Vermont winters
and to perfect his golf game. If you golfed with him, you knew that
he always had at LEAST one club sitting in time-out for not
performing up to his standard.

When he wasn’t
golfing, he and Sandy could be found on a sideline, in the bleachers,
at an ice rink, in a theater or behind a backstop, supporting the
activities of their kids, and, especially, their grandkids. EVERYONE
in the family has gotten coaching tips from PopPop — even the
ballerina. Over the last few years, he helped his son, Brandon, coach
high school basketball. The high school boys’ basketball teams from
Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Va., and Windsor High
School in Windsor, Va., loved the team dinners of Italian food and
life advice, organized by “Pops.”

His family thinks
that on December 3, 2023, he was welcomed into heaven with the most spectacular epic
Food Festival/Christmas Market/State Fair/Polish Picnic that has ever existed. He has been
reunited with his beloved parents and probably had his mom cook him
some homemade gnocchi. His family and friends will be forever
grateful for his laughter and humor, his stories,
his generosity, his sense of fairness, his loving spirit, and his encyclopedic knowledge of where
to eat and what to order.

George is survived
by his wife of 55 years, Sandra, of Burlington; his daughter, Stacey
Zouck, her husband, John
Zouck, and their children, Alexandra and Colin Zouck, of Williston;
his son Brandon, wife
Michele, and their daughter, Alyssa Bossick of Suffolk, Va; his
sister, Marilyn Homa, of Pottsville,
Pa.; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of
George’s life will take place on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at
Ready Funeral South Chapel, 261
Shelburne Rd., Burlington, VT, from 4-6 p.m., with a reception
immediately following at Waterworks Restaurant in Winooski, Vt.

In lieu of flowers,
please consider making a donation to First Tee (firsttee.org), an
organization devoted to impacting
the lives of young people through the game of golf.

Arrangements have
been entrusted to the care of Ready Funeral and Cremation Services.
To send online condolences to the family, please visit
readyfuneral.com.

This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2023.