George Triantafillidis

In Loving Memory: George Triantafillidis

December 1, 1943 – April 29, 2025

George Triantafillidis was born on December 1, 1943, in Harbin, China. At the age of nine, he journeyed with his parents and siblings to Brazil, where he would spend the next decade of his life. It was there that he pursued his education and met the love of his life, Katherine Gumeniuk.

In 1962, George and his family immigrated to the United States in search of new opportunities. Four years later, with a heart still bound to Katherine, he returned to Brazil to formally commit to her. After months of unwavering effort, he brought her to America, and they were united in holy matrimony at the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco.

George and Katherine were blessed with four children—Natalie, Nicholas, Vladimir, and Tatiana—and ten beloved grandchildren. In 2015, they endured the sorrowful loss of their eldest son, Nicholas, who fell asleep in the Lord after a courageous battle with cancer.

A man of quiet strength and devotion, George was a dedicated employee of Schlage Lock for over 30 years, earning recognition for his service and excellence. Outside of work, he was devoted to his church and known for his steadfast character, humility, and the quiet dignity with which he bore all things.

In his later years, George faced grave illness. As his health declined—culminating in kidney failure and years of dialysis—he met each trial with unwavering faith, profound humility, and an abiding hope in Christ. His family stood by him with love and prayer, accepting God’s will with reverence and peace.

His spiritual father remained by his side, offering the sacraments and the consolation of the Church. Even as George lost his strength, speech, and mobility, he never lost his peace. In the early morning hours of Radonitsa, April 29, 2025—a day of remembrance and resurrection—George quietly reposed in the Lord, with Katherine faithfully at his side.

“None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord; if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

— Romans 14:8–9