Georgin Gelev

Georgin Gelev, age 100

Beloved husband of Charlotte Gelev, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family on a beautiful sunny Saturday, October 22, 2022. He was born just shy of 101 years ago in the tiny little village of Tserklevtsi in the mountains of Bulgaria to Mihail and Agna on October 29^th, 1921. Though he came from humble beginnings herding sheep for his family, his influence spread worldwide and he touched many lives.

He met his wife Charlotte in Trieste, Italy in the aftermath of World War II and they embarked upon the adventure of marriage and of moving to the United States. When they arrived in Cleveland, they set about building a full a rich life, starting with two beautiful daughters Helen and Christina, and a vast circle of friends.

In the late 1950s, he completed a master’s degree in library sciences at Case Western Reserve University and was an integral member of the Department of Biochemistry, CWRU where he was the assistant administrator until his retirement. He loved sport and was delighted to be the racquet ball champion at CWRU at age 65.

He was also an avid skier and was still hitting the slopes of Alta, Utah up until his 90th birthday with his good friends Peko and Tefko.  Skiing at Alta became a family tradition and at times we had 3 generations skiing together. He was good with his hands and built countless pieces of furniture for the family. Have you heard the origin story of the dining table?

He had charm and was generous with a twinkling sense of humor. He would always walk into the hardware store and start conversations with ‘by the way’ as if they’d been friends for years and already halfway through a chat. But most of all he was a loving father, husband, and grandfather and will be remembered sweetly by his wife Charlotte, daughters Helen and Christina, grandchildren Sasha, Geargin and Charlie - not to mention all his family in Bulgaria.

Interment Lake View Cemetery.  Graveside Service 11 am on Tuesday October 25th, 2022 at Lakeview Cemetery (meet at Mayfield Rd gate.)

ARRANGEMENTS BY FIORITTO FUNERAL SERVICE OF NORTHEAST OHIO  www.FiorittoFS.com