Obituary of George E. Moeckel

Palm Bay, Florida—George Moeckel, Jr., 74, of Palm Bay, Florida, died October 12 at Holmes Medical Center due to complications of a heart condition. Before retiring to Florida, George was a long-time resident of Rutland, Vermont. Born in Queens, New York, on March 10, 1945, George was the son of the late George and Florence Moeckel. He grew up in Queens and attended Queens public schools. He graduated from City College of New York, where he earned a BA in education and later earned his MA from Castleton State College. George had a long, honorable, and proud military career in the U.S. Army, spanning from 1967 to 2005 and culminating in achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College as well as later taught there. After serving in active duty in Germany from 1968 to 1969 and Fort Drum, New York, in 1994, he continued to serve locally in the Reserves for many years while simultaneously pursuing his teaching career. George is well-known for his 35-year tenure as an industrial arts teacher at Rutland Junior High School, where he touched the lives of generations of students. George could go nowhere in Rutland without a former student recognizing him and saying hello, which always gave him great pleasure. George served on the board of directors for the Heritage Family Credit Union for 19 years. For the past several years, he was on the board for Woodside Condominiums, where he lived with his wife. George enjoyed working on projects around the house, camping with family and friends, sporting events, gardening, swimming, going to the beach, and listening to music. Most of all, he loved spending time with family. George is survived by his wife of 52 years, Maureen Moeckel (nee Tessar). He leaves a son George Moeckel, III, and his girlfriend Wendy Payson of Southampton, MA; a daughter Sarah Wolf and her husband Akhnaton Aguilar of Rutland, VT; a daughter Katherine Moeckel and her fiancé Jamie Clark of Swanzey, NH; grandchildren Anya and Akenaton (Aki) Aguilar-Wolf of Rutland, Alice Clark of Swanzey, Christopher LaBombard and his fiancé Emily Greaney of Agawam, MA; a great-granddaughter Ellie LaBombard of Agawam; a sister Florence Meyers of Queens, NY; a brother Richard Moeckel and his wife Christine of Atlanta, GA; and many in-laws, nieces, and nephews. He is predeceased by a sister Patricia Kessler. A memorial service will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the George Moeckel Trade School Scholarship Fund, Rutland City Public Schools, 6 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701.