George Majdalani

George Badih Majdalani of Perrysburg, Ohio passed away to be with our Lord and Savior on Wednesday, June 14 at the age of 94 – just one month shy of his 95th birthday. George is preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife of 63 years, Rose Assily Majdalani, as well as his parents, Badih and Fayze Majdalani, and his siblings, Soumaya, Elias and Aida.

George will be remembered as a proud and loving father to his two sons, Badih John Majdalani and Maher Joe Majdalani (Brenda Myers Majdalani). To his four grandchildren, he was their storytelling “Jidi”. Jidi’s charismatic personality will never be forgotten by Tara Majdalani (Kris Zurcher), Connor Majdalani (Kelsey), Trevor Majdalani and Amy Majdalani Goulet (Josh). His infant great-grandchildren, Benjamin John Goulet, Raya Rose Zurcher and Rose Lindsay Majdalani brought him much joy in the last year of his life. George is also survived by three siblings: Georgette, Salwa and Suheila.

Born on July 15, 1928 in Haifa, Palestine, George was the eldest of seven children. When George was just 15 years old, his father passed away. George quit school to begin working to support his mother and five sisters and one brother. He worked 2 jobs from 7 a.m. until midnight to make ends meet for his family. For the next 80 years, he would be his family’s patriarch.

In 1946 George becomes lifelong best friends with Raffoul Assily who later introduced George to his sister – George’s future wife, Rose. George and Rose married 1956 in Lebanon.

An eternal optimist, George saw the good in every situation and put a positive spin on every fork in the road. In 1967, George had the courage and foresight to move his young family from Lebanon to New York City (and eventually Toledo, Ohio). This decision to move to the United States would give his sons a much better life.

Known for his charismatic smile, George was universally loved, making a tremendous impact on everyone he met. A natural leader, George had an illustrious career in international shipping and logistics, working for Thomas Cook, IPC, Aramco, Beirut Express, and eventually retiring at Danzas after a 50-year career. Thanks to his profession, George was exceptionally well-traveled – and, he made it a point to visit his mother and family in the Middle East often.

After his retirement in 1996 George and Rose relocated to Marco Island, Florida, where they enjoyed 20 years of sunshine. George was an active member of the Rotary Club, and he staunchly believed in the Rotary’s motto of “service above self.” He was selected as Rotarian of the Year in 2001, received the Service Above Self award in 2003 and was bestowed the Rotary’s highest honor of Honorary Membership in 2010. Besides his love for charitable work, George was an avid gardener – growing all sorts of vegetables in his backyard for his wife to incorporate into their delicious traditional Arabic meals.

Upon his return to Ohio in 2017, George enjoyed frequent visits from his sons and family. He spent his final years in the excellent care of the wonderful staff of the Waterford at Levis Commons in Perrysburg, along with his patient and loving caregiver Ana Carroll. In the last year of his life he also recieved exceptional care from Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

A private graveside ceremony to celebrate George’s life will be held at St. Rose Cemetery on Monday, July 3 at 11 a.m. ET. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in his name to St. George or St. Elias of Sylvania.