DR. GEORGE FOTI's Obituary
Dr. George Foti age 73 of Boca Raton passed away peacefully on November 11, 2020. Beloved husband of R. Susan Foti; Loving father of Andrew (Marisa) Foti and Stacey (Bruce) Herzer; Cherished grandfather of Dylan, Brennan, and Juliette; Dear Brother of Tom (Pam) Foti. Private Services will be held on Sunday, November 15, 2020. Donations may be made to Your Favorite Charity.
Dr. Foti was born in Gyor, Hungary, and spent his early childhood years in post-war Budapest. In 1956, the freedom fighters through unimaginable sacrifice and valor overthrew the Soviet occupation for a brief period of time, and the family planned their dangerous escape. They set out on foot with all the clothes and valuables they could carry. They were picked up by an open truck of Freedom Fighters who were also heading out to the country near the border with Austria. After crawling through muddy riverbanks amidst flairs and gunfire, they made it across the border. After getting a ride to Vienna, they miraculously met their Uncle Paul who had fled to America before the war and travelled to Vienna in hopes of helping the family escape. Together, they all immigrated to Queens, New York. George was nine years old at the time and studied hard to learn the language and culture. Educational pursuits soon followed, and he attended Long Island University on the CW Post campus. There he met and fell in love with Susan, his golden haired girl. But first, he had to win her heart. The chase was on. After a five-year courtship, they got married and moved to Maryland, then Connecticut, and Albany while he completed his medical training. They finally settled in Florida where George became a well-respected trauma and plastic surgeon. He ran a successful practice for 25 years, but in the summer of 1999, at the age of 52, he suddenly became ill with kidney cancer, heart disease, and stroke. He went on to survive a serious motorcycle accident the following year. After saving too many lives to count, but unable to continue operating, he retired and was free to pursue his other passions in life-- especially, hi fidelity music, spending time with family, and exploring North America by motorcycle with Susan and sometimes Andrew. Over the last twenty years, he and Susan logged nearly 150,000 miles on his two motorcycles, the Honda Valkyrie and the Ural. He rode from Florida to Nova Scotia and back; out west to California and back; up to Vancouver and back too-- but his crowning achievement with Susan was riding from Florida to Alaska and back at the tender age of 60! To celebrate and commemorate these amazing trips, George and Susan wrote two books and were working on a third one. Truly an amazing legacy gift that will be cherished always. Most recently, their trips were to camp in the Georgia mountains near the Appalachian Trail. He was taken too soon but lived life with gusto, weathering the storms, savoring the sweetness, and modeling the toughness, courage and grace to overcome pain. His wit, wisdom, tenacity, grit, and love will be in our hearts always.
What’s your fondest memory of GEORGE?
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Describe a day with GEORGE you’ll never forget.
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