George S. Finkel of Arlington, VA passed away on March 22, 2017. He was born on August 10, 1928 in Newark, NJ to parents Sidney and Reva Mucha Finkel. He and his younger brother, David, were raised in Newark, attended the Maple Avenue School and graduated from Weequahic High School. He received a B.A. and M.A. in Education from William Paterson College.
George married Hilda Frances Herschaft, also of Newark, NJ, in 1952. They lived first in Clifton, NJ where their daughter Susan was born in 1955. He got his first job in education in 1954 as a 5th grade teacher at Coleman School in Glen Rock, NJ, for which he wrote the school song. They bought their first house in Oakland, NJ in 1956 and their son, Peter, was born in 1959. Later that year they moved to a new home in Fanwood, NJ. George at this time taught in a special program for gifted and talented students in Plainfield, NJ. Among other teaching innovations, he developed a grid-globe to assist students in understanding the concept of latitude and longitude. His pursuit of an Ed.D came to an end when he received his first principalship at Lamonte Elementary school in Bound Brook, NJ in 1962. The family moved to East Brunswick, NJ in 1967 when George was hired by the East Brunswick, NJ Public Schools. He would serve for the balance of his career in East Brunswick, as Principal of Central and Smith Elementary Schools and as Assistant Principal at Hammarskjold and Churchill Junior High Schools, until retiring in 1992.
Poetry was a life-long interest for George and he loved sharing his enthusiasm with students throughout his career. He encouraged children to read poems and to write their own. Before his retirement he developed a special program with several English teachers at his school where he returned to the classroom a few hours a week to work on poetry with junior high school students. This was a very meaningful experience for him and for the cooperating teachers and their students.
Upon retirement George became active as a docent and collections volunteer at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, NJ where his daughter was a curator. He and Hilda moved to the Clearbrook retirement community, in Monroe Township, NJ in 1987. At Clearbrook he joined the board of his section, was a supervisor in the woodshop and was an engineer and announcer with the radio club where he shared his love of classical and jazz music with the community. He also spent time playing golf and doing wood turning and other woodworking projects. George enjoyed theater, dining out, and travel. He relished the many vacations shared with his family, traveling in many parts of the US as well as in Canada, Mexico and Europe.
George and Hilda decided to move to Arlington, VA to be near their children in 2000. George quickly became active in his new community; working as a docent at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, volunteering to tutor students and share his love of poetry at the neighborhood Patrick Henry Elementary School, and serving on the buildings and grounds committee of his condo association. Now living close to his son, George worked with Peter to make custom furniture, an interest that the two had shared over many years. George and Hilda enjoyed the cultural life in the Washington, DC area and became fans of the Nationals baseball team.
George is survived by his wife, Hilda, daughter Susan Finkel of Arlington, son Peter Finkel and daughter-in-law Elaine Mulligan of Falls Church.

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