Obituary of George E. Venikouas

GEORGE E. VENIKOUAS George E. Venikouas died in his home on March 7th, 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 70 years old. Born in Athens, Greece, on April 22nd, 1945 he was the only child of Marika and Eleftherios Venikouas who provided him with a magical upbringing most of us could only dream of. They spent their summers vacationing on the island of Siphnos where George's father was born and raised and spent countless hours fishing George's father's passion and hunting George's passion. He attended college at Aristotle University in Salonica, a town in northern Greece and later served his country in the Army. He met and married his first wife Evie Sonodou at this time and they became the proud parents of a daughter, Katerina, who was raised primarily in the United States but now resides in Greece with her husband. She was clearly the "apple of his eye" and he looked forward each Christmas to Katerina and Dimitris visits where they would swap stories of friends and family, share many happy memories and of course some she would prepare some of his favorite Greek dishes. A real treat! George later attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK where he earned his PhD in Physics. He had very fond memories of the time he spent in Stillwater with his fellow students and professors teasing out solutions to very complicated issues involving lasers. He worked for a period of time in Pennsylvania and from there he moved to Washougal, WA to work for Union Carbide which was later purchased by Saint Gobain. It was during this time that he met and married his second wife, Judy. George and Judy had many happy memories traveling to and spending time in Greece on vacation and since his retirement in 2009 have been enjoying the company of their beloved Irish Wolfhounds and the wonderful friends that they have brought into their lives. George also enjoyed the company of his brother-in-law Mike and his wife Amanda as well as their three little girls whom "uncle" George adored. With Mike & Amanda, the hobby was arguing about politics. George cherished his relationships with family and friends above all else and he has left a gaping hole which can never be filled. He had an incredible, unshakeable faith in God which sustained him and gave him strength during his battle with cancer and now he has gone home to be with Him. Rest in peace beloved George. Your presence here will be greatly missed. George is survived by his beloved wife Judy Venikouas and daughter Katerina Rellias- Venikouas, son-in-law Dimitris Rellias as well as his brother-in-law Michael Richards, sister-in-law, Amanda Richards, nieces; Regan, Riley and Rhys Richards of Lyle, WA and brother-in-law Robert Richards of Camas, WA, as well as several cousins in Greece. A funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 3131 S.E. Glisan St. in Portland, OR on Friday, March 11th, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. with a graveside service at approximately 2:00 p.m. at Washougal cemetery in Washougal, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the American Cancer Society or PeaceHealth Hospice Southwest. Straub's Funeral Home & Columbia River Cremation in Camas is in charge of the arrangements. To send condolences or to sign the online guestbook please visit www.straubsfuneralhome.com.