George John Nemo

George John Nemo, PhD, passed away peacefully on Saturday night, March 19, 2022, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 82. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues, who experienced his kindness, generosity, and absolute joy for living.

Born on January 3, 1940, George was a 1957 graduate of Donora High School in Pennsylvania and was a proud alum of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he is an Alumni of Distinction Award recipient.  He went on to receive his doctorate from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in Virology and Microbiology.

Dr. Nemo had a distinguished career as the Director of Blood Resources, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he authored numerous papers and received many prestigious awards. He was responsible for research initiatives and clinical programs that have contributed greatly to improving the knowledge, practice and safety of blood banking and transfusion medicine.  During this time, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service.

George was preceded in passing by his parents, George E. and Edythe Nemo, and his parents-in-law Arturo R.H. and Mary Ellen Hau. He is survived by the love of his life and wife of 55 years, Mary Ellen, and their three daughters, Mary Ellen, Kary, and Christina and sons-in-law John Perez, Mike Gilligan, and Boris Skalsky, and his ten grandchildren: John, Phillip, Michael, and Laura Perez; Patrick, Brendan, Ryan, and Kaylyn Gilligan; and Lukas and Sophia Skalsky.  Nothing meant more to George than his family; they were each his pride and joy and an endless source of happiness and fulfillment. George loved his brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews, who always returned his love many-fold.  Throughout his life, the city of Pittsburgh was close to his heart and some of his favorite topics of conversation were about the Steelers and Pirates. He was an avid fan his entire life.

The family will receive friends from 4pm to 7pm, on Friday, March 25, 2022 at the Keeney & Basford Funeral Home, 106 E. Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00AM, at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, 4103 Prices Distillery Road, Ijamsville, MD 21754.  Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations in his memory go to the NIH Children’s Inn at 7 West Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814 (www.childrensinn.org).

George and his family appreciate the exceptional and compassionate care that he received at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The JHH team made him a true partner fighting his battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Online condolences may be shared at www.keeneybasford.com.