George Edward Dolnack Jr., veteran, General Electric retiree
George Edward Dolnack Jr., 94, of Rehoboth Beach, formerly of Gap and Downingtown, Pa., passed away peacefully in his sleep Monday, April 14, 2025. Born in Monessen, Pa., Nov. 11, 1930, son of the late George E. Dolnack Sr. and Mary (Gagatko) Dolnack of Belle Vernon, Pa., George attended Rostraver High School before joining the U.S. Navy the day after his 18th birthday.
George served on multiple Mediterranean tours with the Navy, his first on the radar picket destroyer USS Dyess DDR-880 in 1949. He was recalled to duty in 1950 and served on the attack transport USS Latimer APA-152.
After attending Penn Technical Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., George joined radio station WEMR as a DJ/engineer in Emporium, Pa., in 1954. In 1955, he was offered a position with General Electric in their Schenectady, N.Y., Aeronautics and Ordnance department. Within a year, he transferred to the GE Syracuse, N.Y., Marine Ordnance Radar unit—testing airborne fire control systems for the F-100 series fighter jet. In 1958, he accepted an assignment at the U.S. Naval base in Trinidad, West Indies, to install the experimental Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar array for the U.S. Air Force. Operational within 50 weeks, this system tracked all U.S. and Soviet missile launches as well as satellites in orbit, including Sputnik III. On Aug. 12, 1960, the Trinidad Test Site completed the first international human voice reception from space for military purposes. This involved bouncing the signal destined for Rome, N.Y., off a NASA ‘Project Echo’ mylar balloon satellite within its first day in orbit.
George met the love of his life, MaryAnne Shephard, in 1959 during a “jump-up” dance at the Trinidad Country Club in Port of Spain. Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married Jan. 16, 1960, at St. Teresa’s Roman Catholic Church in Woodbrook, Trinidad. In September of that year, they welcomed son Christopher Charles to the family. The family said goodbye to Trinidad in April 1961 and moved to Syracuse, N.Y., where the annual snowfall was 144 inches. Sons Stephen John and Peter Robert were born in November 1962 and June 1964, respectively.
The family moved to Downingtown, Pa., in 1968, following George’s transfer to the GE Reentry System & Space Division in King of Prussia, Pa., eventually obtaining top-secret with crypto clearance. George worked on many classified government projects all over the U.S., which we later learned included surveillance satellite deployments, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems, classified Space Shuttle launches, monitoring munitions packages, and more. George retired from General Electric in 1990 and relocated to Gap, Pa., to spend more time with his beloved grandchildren.
George instilled his love of the outdoors in his sons as they spent time together hunting, fishing, and trapping. Their annual calendar was punctuated by the opening days of trout, spring gobbler, bass, turkey, deer, and bear seasons. They spent many seasons at their hunting camp in Sterling Run, Pa.
Active as an outdoor writer for many years, George wrote regularly for Pennsylvania Angler, Pennsylvania Game News, and Pennsylvania Sportsman magazines. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and Outdoor Writers Association of America. He was also a member of VFW Post 6221, American Legion Post 194, May Hollow Sportsmen’s Club, and Sinnemahoning Sportsmen’s Club.
George was preceded in death by his parents, George E. Dolnack Sr. (1996) and Mary Dolnack (1985); his brother, James C. Dolnack (2009); and his son, Peter Robert Dolnack (2024). He is survived by his wife, MaryAnne of Rehoboth Beach; and sons, Christopher of Watertown, Conn., and Stephen of Rehoboth Beach; as well as granddaughters, Elaine of Newport Beach, Calif., and Natale of Enfield, Conn.; and grandsons, Stephen of Philadelphia, Pa., and Nathaniel of Van Horn, Texas.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 7, at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Hwy., Lewes, where friends and family may visit beginning at 10 a.m.
Anyone unable to attend the services may view the livestream at: parsellfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/permalink/11772474/LTWebcast.
George will be interred will full military honors at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8, at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, 60 Indiantown Gap Road, Annville, Pa.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in George’s memory to May Hollow Sportsmen’s Club, 189 May Hollow Road, Driftwood, PA 15832, for their youth fishing derby and shooting sports programs, or Rostraver Public Library, 700 Plaza Drive, Rostraver Township, PA 15012, rostraverlibrary.org.
Visit George’s Life Memorial webpage at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
