George Soufleris

On Friday, September 4, 2020, George Adam Soufleris, MD, loving husband, father of 3 sons, 8 grandchildren and 8 greatgrandchildren passed away at age 92.
George was born on February 27, 1928 in Astoria, NY to Adam and Morfou Soufleris. He was proud to have served in the US Army in Japan at the end of World War II and returned home to attend college at Dartmouth where he met his wonderful wife Rita Heft to whom he was married to for 68 years.
George was a kind, loving, giving and compassionate man who came from humble beginnings. He believed that you can do anything in this great country if you put your mind to it and were willing to work hard. True to his beliefs, after marrying Rita and having their first son, he worked for five years selling shoes before deciding to return to school to attend the University of Vermont Medical School to become a doctor. Upon conferring his MD degree, George moved his family to Syracuse where he did his internship and residency training in OB-GYN and subsequently spent the next 36 years helping take care of the women of Onondaga County.
During the 60's and 70's he rose to Medical Director of the Onondaga County Family Planning Program and Consulting Gynecologist at Van Duyne Hospital. He also served with teaching appointments in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at SUNY Upstate Medical Center, progressing from Clinical Instructor to full Clinical Professor in 1976. George also served for five years as the Chief of the OB-GYN department at Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital.
George was also one of the Founding Fathers of the Onondaga Pastoral Counseling Service which works with men and women having serious personal problems. He also served as a member of the Board at Vera House, a refuge for abused women and their children. He was an active member of St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church and enjoyed seeing the church grow during his years there.
When he wasn't working, he loved relaxing with his family on the beach and there were several special places – Hampton Beach, NH, Sanibel, FL and the Outer Banks, NC.
A fitness enthusiast, George had nearly a 50 year association with the YMCA of greater Syracuse including serving as a working Member of its Board of Trustees and Board of Directors. An avid runner and tennis fan, he loved going to the US Open. But, what got him most excited was being a season ticket holder while supporting and attending several decades of SU Basketball. Many of George and Rita's trips to the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden ended in return train trips to Syracuse to try and find their car buried under mounds of snow.
George is survived by his wife Rita, sons Mark, Philip and Peter, eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, several nephews and a niece. Calling hours will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9th at the Burns Garfield Funeral Home at 3175 East Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY 13224. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, September 10th at 10:00 a.m at the Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Crouse Hospital Foundation, St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church, Vera House or any other organization of your choice.