Obituary of Dr. Edward Albert George

Dr. Edward A. George was born on May 26, 1937 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada to George Essef George and Isabel Nassim George (Zaher), immigrants from Mount Lebanon, a predominantly Maronite Catholic region in what was then Syria but now Lebanon. He passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Katy, Texas. 

Dr. George was preceded in death by his parents, George and Isabel, and his 6 siblings, Helen Roman (John), Louis George (Roberta), Joey George (Bev), Mary Manatakos (Pete), Tony George (Rosemarie), and Elizabeth George.

He is survived by his wife Katherine (Kathy) George and his 5 children, Gregory George (Raquel), Karla George, Derek George (Lisa), Eddie George (Amy) and Kristina Hugenberg (David) and his 13 beloved grandchildren who loved their “Papa” dearly.  He also leaves behind countless friends, former patients, and people who were just touched by his love, generosity, and unique sense of humor.

Dr. George was born with both feet affected by a disorder called clubfoot, which was inherited from his father who was also born with a clubfoot. He spent 13 years commuting via a 12 hour train trip to Montreal with either his father or his mother, being left for treatment of his feet. This was really hard for him to be without his family for many months at a time, but it made him mentally stronger. He has fond memories of his travel with his father, like taking him to the Montreal Lebanese club when they were in town.  After dropping on Dad, his father would climb the famous steps outside of the St. Joseph Oratory in Montreal on his knees to offer up his suffering in prayer for his entire family, especially Dad.

After his treatment ended he went on to be a star athlete in high school and college in his hometown of Fredericton, playing both rugby and baseball. Despite his short stature, he excelled thanks to his God-given gifts, determination, and competitive spirit, not to mention the strength he built after being on crutches for so many years. He earned spending money in his adolescent years shining shoes and selling newspapers on the street corner near his family’s apartment. In his university years, he earned some money to help pay for college by playing drums in a celebrated local jazz band. He would go on to play drums for various jazz bands for the rest of his life.

After he graduated university, he chose to follow a medical career and enrolled in Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is one of the most prestigious medical schools in Canada. After a careful discernment, he chose to pursue orthopedic surgery after graduating from medical school.

In pursuit of his orthopedic training, he felt obliged to return to the Shriners Orthopedic Hospital in Montreal, where he then trained for years under the same doctor who treated him for his feet.

He married the love of his life, Kathy, who he met through his youngest sister Elizabeth when they were living in Halifax. Elizabeth invited Kathy to a jazz concert where Dad was playing drums and set up the opportunity for Mom to be asked to dance by Dad. The rest is history as they lived happily ever after.

Dad was told he would never have kids as a result of a reproductive issue that he had, but they continued to live a life of faith and hope. After corrective surgery, they had five children and 13 grandchildren.

Dad began his orthopedic practice in his hometown of Fredericton, Canada, where he thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by family and pursuing his passion of orthopedic surgery. He quickly built a reputation for being one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Canada. He was very quickly recruited by many orthopedic groups in the United States, and ultimately chose Houston given its Medical Center and multicultural characteristics. 

He was one of the first surgeons in the United States to use cement for joint replacements, where he learned in Canada because the procedure was already approved there.  This put him at a significant advantage as his skills were in high demand in the expectation that the use of cement in surgery would be approved soon.

He was a pioneer in a knee procedure that revolutionized the total knee replacement: the Oxford Knee. He was one of four surgeons in the country chosen to jointly develop the knee replacement to travel the world in pursuit of its perfection. That was one of his proudest moments in his professional life.

He completed a private practice in orthopedic surgery for 3 years in Canada and 34 years in Houston.  He touched so many people’s lives in such a positive way. Many of his patients could not afford medical care, and he did a significant amount of work at no-cost for these patients. Dad was known for his genuine approach to his bedside manner and gave each patient the time they needed to feel cared for while never looking at his watch. Many of his children’s friends were treated by Dad and remember to this day how loving and generous he was and what a positive effect he had on their lives. To many he was a father figure and was looked up to for his generosity and care.

His professional accomplishments as an orthopedic surgeon are evidenced by the framed accolades that adorned the walls in his medical office. Although he was very proud of these, nothing was more important to him than his family, who he cared for and loved deeply. Dad would regularly provide pearls of wisdom to us, especially at times of need. He was famous amongst us for sending notes that seemed to fit exactly what we were dealing with at the time. He was committed to his Catholic faith, planting the seed of this faith in his family through his devotion to worshiping and serving our Lord Jesus Christ day to day in everything he did. Dad’s father had tremendous love for St. Jude and his healing powers for people with impossible cases and therefore adopted him as his patron Saint and remained devoted to him his entire adult life.

Dad provided all of his children with a Catholic education from elementary school all the way through high school, and for some, through university. His faith was at his core and he owed everything that he benefited from to God. He would often pray the night before complex surgeries as part of his preparation routine. He would ask God to guide him through his procedures so he would be able to perform at his best and draw on his decades of training.

After he retired in 2007, Dad devoted his life to his wife, children and grandchildren where he found the most love, satisfaction and pride. Everything he did was all in the name of God. 

Dr. George passed away at his home peacefully surrounded by family on May 9, 2024 after a long battle with an illness that, for the first time in his life, he could not beat. 

Dearest Eddie, Dad, and Papa you will be dearly missed by all. We pray that you are welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven and reunited with your parents and siblings and friends.  

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Wednesday May 15, 2024 at Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church located at 11935 Bellfort Village Dr., Houston, TX 77031. Pallbearers are Eddie George, Joey George, Pierce George, Ryan George, Andrew George, Braden Hugenberg, and Matthew Parker.

There will be a reception immediately following the funeral mass at Cedar Hall where lite bites will be
provided.

Dr. George will be laid to rest at Magnolia Cemetery in Katy, Texas.

Donations may be made to Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church (https://ourladyofthecedars.net/) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org)