George Riemer

George Riemer born June 26th, 1934, in Bratislava, Slovakia passed from this life on January 13th after complications from advanced Parkinson’s Disease. George always the proud Hungarian, faithful husband, loving father, devoted brother, doting Papa, loyal friend and all-around incredible person left a mark in so many peoples’ lives and undoubtedly will leave a permanent void in so many hearts. George endured much pain and loss in his early years. George was a survivor of the Holocaust but tragically seventeen of George’s family members- including his own Father (Salomon Riemer) and two half-brothers (Geza and Rudy “Lolly” Riemer) perished in Nazi concentration camps.  Following the Russian liberation of Hungary at the end of World War II, George focused his energies on caring for his family and concentrating on his studies. He excelled in school and eventually went on to receive a full scholarship from the Building Technology College in Budapest, where he obtained a degree in Civil Engineering in 1956. It was shortly after graduating that George found himself facing terror in Communist occupied Hungary until bravely fleeing the Country and settling in Los Angeles together with his beloved Marianna in January 1957. Despite the adversity, George considered himself a “very lucky man”.  His positivity and perseverance are among the qualities which can be directly attributed to his immense success working as a Structural Designer and Project Manager for the world-renowned Architectural Engineering and Planning Firm -Victor Gruen Associates.  George then continued in his noteworthy career path as a successful Commercial Real Estate Developer which spanned nearly five decades. George is preceded in death by his parents Malvina Fonfeder and Salomon Riemer, his brothers Geza and Rudy “Lolly” Riemer, his sister Illy (and spouse Shanyi) Klein and his sister-in-law Aniko (Peter) Riemer. He leaves behind his wife Marianna Bihari, his son Ronald (Amy) Riemer, grandchildren Ryan, Avery and Ayla Riemer along with his brother Peter Riemer. George is also survived by a nephew Lior (Lena) Riemer and Niece Kitty (Boaz) Cohen. George will forever be remembered in countless ways: as the Honorary Kentucky Colonel with the warmest of smiles, for his “funny” accent and unique take on the pronunciation of certain words in the English language, as well as for his love of photography and the voluminous library of photos that George took over the years of his many travels and of which often included perfect strangers whom happily posed following his introduction of “Where are you from my friend?”. These are just a few of the ways George’s memory will live on. However, above all, George will be remembered for his generosity and kindness as a man who deeply loved his family and friends, and who truly exemplified the type of person that most of us can only strive to be. In lieu of flowers please consider donating in George’s name to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.