George Petrutsas - Obituary

eorge Petrutsas, 91, a resident of both Bethesda and Ocean City, MD and formerly of Bowie, MD, died on November 14, 2020 at his residence in Ocean City due to complications associated with Parkinsons Disease. Born on June 8, 1929 in Rehia, Greece to the late Athanasios and Venetia Petrutsas, George fled the war torn country in the 1940s with nothing but a small suitcase of clothing. He arrived in New York at the age of 15 where he and his siblings navigated their new lives in the US on their own. He taught himself English and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He put himself through the New York University School of Law where he earned a law degree and moved to Washington, DC in 1960 where he practiced law and built a life with his beloved wife and three daughters in Bowie, MD. As Chief of the Rules Division at the FCC and partner at Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, he was a pioneer in regulating the emerging cellular phone industry. George was a member of Ss. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Annapolis, MD and the District of Columbia Bar Association. He enjoyed growing vegetables in his backyard garden and cooking. His favorite pastime was sitting around a large table and sharing a great meal with family and friends, but his passion was his family. George was a loving husband, father, Popou and patriarch of the Petrutsas family. He built a legacy for his family through his kindness for all, deep devotion to his Greek heritage, and unwavering integrity to everyone in his life. He was preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife of 56 years, Florence Petrutsas and his siblings, Suzanna Yannius, Panayiota Koulouris, Matina Kokis and Yianna Petrutsas. George is survived by his daughters, Vanessa Connelly of Annapolis, MD, Beth Fleshman of Vienna, VA and Dianna Harris of Ocean City, MD and his grandchildren, George, Elena and Christina Connolly, Yanni and Menel Harris and Madeleine and Sophia Fleshman. Funeral service will be held at Ss. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 2747 Riva Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401 on Thursday, November 19 at 11 am. Interment will follow at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Cemetery in Annapolis. Contributions may be made to Ss. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church or St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 8805 Coastal Hwy., Ocean City, MD 21842. Condolences may be left by using the memory tab on this page.