George Lies passed away at his home in Morgantown on April 27, 2024, finishing his final chapter.
He was born in Pittsburgh in the spring of 1946 and grew up in the city’s Hill District, going on to attend Fifth Avenue High School where he graduated as valedictorian of his class, then the University of Pittsburgh and later, the WVU School of Journalism.
A lifelong fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams, particularly the Pirates, he found an early hero in Roberto Clemente who he would watch play at Forbes Field. As a kid, he sold newspapers on Pittsburgh’s 5th Avenue, and he later became a journalist working at the Greensburg Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Forum, the Pittsburgh Press, Roll Call and The Brazilian Herald in Rio de Janeiro.
George served on the staff at WVU for 38 years, first in the Coal Mining Extension Service and later, in the Office of International Programs. He had a lifelong love of Latin America and was instrumental in establishing Morgantown’s Sister Cities relationships with Guanajuato, Mexico and Xuzhou, China, serving as the chair of the Sister Cities Commission. He helped usher hundreds of students through study abroad programs and even more international students through WVU.
A skilled and passionate writer, George was actively involved in many local literary communities which he helped build and sustain. He ran the Morgantown Writers Group for 30 years, fostering countless writing careers through his generous encouragement and constructive criticism. For the better part of two decades, he ran the Goldenrod Writer’s Conference, which he founded, bringing together writers from across the state of W.Va. and beyond. He served as the President of West Virginia Writers Inc. from 1999-2001 and again in 2003. He also won numerous awards and recognitions for his own work.
George is preceded in death by his mother, Marie Lies and cousin, John Malicky.
He is survived by his wife, Lucia; his daughter, Erica and son-in-law, Eric; his brothers, Michael and Leonard; sisters-in-law, Cathy and Filomena; his nieces and nephews, Francesca, Lenny, Michaela, Gian Carlo, Nicholas and Francesco; and his aunt, Rose LoPinto.
His wife and daughter wish to thank the hospice professionals who were instrumental in his final days, particularly Courtnie McKnight, Carla Emrick, Bunny Hegedis, Jolene Groves, Trudy Chandler and Stephanie Davis.
Family and friends are invited to gather at Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home from 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, until the time of the memorial service at 4 p.m., with a larger memorial to follow in the summer.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to West Virginia Writers, Inc. at wvwriters.org and West Virginia Caring at wvcaring.org.
Condolences:
www.fredjenkinsfuneralhome.com
