George A. Voronin, born March 21, 1931 in Eureka, CA to Alexei and Zinaida Voronin, passed away quietly on November 6, 2023 after a battle with dementia. The Voronin family moved to San Francisco when he was one year old, residing on Clement Street his whole childhood. George attended St. Monica School in the Richmond District and later graduated from Lowell High School. A star athlete, George played football with future San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh at the College of San Mateo and spent a summer playing third base in a semi-professional baseball league in the Russian River Area. The Voronins moved to San Mateo in the early 1950s, and George eventually moved to San Carlos after meeting and marrying his soul mate, his loving wife Galina (nee Manturoff, d. July 12, 2015). A career grocery store man, George enjoyed a forty plus year career at Safeway, finally retiring as a manager at the Crystal Springs store location. Known to many as an avid fan of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, San Francisco Giants and Stanford Cardinal, the spectacular customer service he offered while working for Safeway brought him close to many of the professional athletes who shopped there, some of George's favorites being Rickey Henderson and Gary Carter. The efforts he made raising money for Easterseals caught the attention of then-Safeway and San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan, who invited him to throw out the first pitch at Candlestick Park. Ever the pious Orthodox Christian, George accepted the honor, provided he did not have to miss church. The Giants catcher who caught the first pitch that day was none other than Bob Melvin, who was hired to be manager of the ball club on October 24 of this year. After catching the pitch (a strike), Melvin approached George and declared, "You know something? We could use you." George and Galina dedicated much of their lives in service to their local parish, the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church in Menlo Park. As a younger man, George was responsible for organizing two Christmas fundraising dances that paid for the construction of the parish social hall, which stands to this day. Until he suffered a fall in June of 2022, George could be seen at every parish fundraiser, most often persuading people to buy random gifts from the "Lucky Barrel." While they had no children together, many of the parishioners were blessed by their relationship with the Voronins, who became like a second set of parents, or grandparents, to many. Their childlike joy and love for God, coupled with an unflagging energy to please the Lord and their neighbors, provided an invaluable example to all for decades. George leaves behind many loving cousins, relatives and friends, including sisters-in-law Natalia Lazor and Tatiana Manturoff, nephews and nieces Alexander Lazor, Elizabeth McKean, Paul Lazor, Andrew and Neil Manturoff, and cousins Bob Sitov and Peter Sitov. A simple and sometimes private man who nonetheless counted among his friends professional athletes, local police officers, bishops, and theologians, his gift to the world was above all his prayer for anyone he encountered. A memorial service will be held at Nativity of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church on Wednesday November 15 at 7:00 pm, 1220 Crane Street, Menlo Park. The Orthodox funeral rite will be celebrated at Nativity of the Holy Virgin on Thursday November 16 at 10:00 am. Interment will follow at Serbian cemetery in Colma.


May George's memory be eternal!