George Plautz Jr.

George J. Plautz Jr. 70, Tampa, Fla., formerly of Greenwood, passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, after a prolonged battle with cancer. George’s wish was to have his cremains buried next to his parents in the Catholic Cemetery in Greenwood. A graveside service and celebration of his life will be held in 2021.

George was born on Aug. 16, 1950, to Francis (nee Podrovitz) and George J. Plautz Sr., in Marshfield. After Francis passed away in 1954, George Sr. married Ellen Mornson Felix, a widow with three young children. George attended St. Mary’s Catholic School in Greenwood through the eighth grade and received his high school diploma from St. Mary’s Mission Seminary in Techny, Ill. George worked for the FBI in Virginia for 32 years as an analyst, retiring in 2005 to the Tampa, Fla., area. During retirement, George researched his ancestors on both sides of his family. He loved the field of genealogy and became very animated when talking about it. He met many people throughout his journey of discovery and, remarkably, could remember how all these people were related. George enjoyed hosting parties for Florida-area Slovenians, where they ate traditional foods such as blood sausage and potica. George was a member of many genealogical organizations including the Slovenian Union of America, Slovenian Genealogical Society International, and Gotscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association. He honored his father by being a member of the Sons of the American Legion for 24 years.

George was preceded in death by his mother, Francis; his father, George; his stepmother, Ellen; and his stepbrother, Noel Felix.

He is survived by his stepsister, Meda (Felix) Krempasky; a stepbrother, John Felix; half-sisters Laurie (Plautz) Zamarripa and Gigi Plautz; 10 nieces and nephews; and more than 55,000 known ancestors.

If you would like to honor George’s memory, please make a donation to your local pet shelter or the Slovenian Heritage Museum, 431 North Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432.

PAID OBITUARY 97445