George Christopher Dehney

George Christopher Dehney, 48, of Stevensville died October 8, 2020 at Compass Regional Hospice in Chestertown after a 21-month battle with glioblastoma. Preceded in death by his father, George Joseph Dehney, he is survived by his wife of 22 years, Aimee Curry Dehney, and their children Thomas (15) and Grace (12), his mother Annette Dehney, and sisters Michelle Dehney Carlin and Collette Dehney Cullen. George was born December 25, 1971 in Lowell, MA. He was baptized at St John’s Church, New Chelmsford, MA. He grew up in Westford, MA where George Sr. and Annette instilled in the family a love of sailing and the outdoors – something that would become a passion for George which he would take to high levels of adventure. The family moved to Silver Spring, MD where he attended Springbrook High School. George was a three-year varsity football letterman and helped lead the Blue Devils to win state championships his junior and senior year. He was awarded the Iron Man award his senior year for being the toughest player on the team and also won All-County Player of the Year. As a senior wrestler he competed as a state finalist. After graduating in 1990, George worked at CT/HX for six years refurbishing cooling towers. During this time, he also played semi-pro football for the Baltimore Renegades and rugby with the Maryland Exiles. In 1996, George was accepted into Steamfitters Local 602 Apprenticeship Trade School. Graduating in 2001 with both a welder’s certificate and journeyman’s license, he began work as a mechanical foreman on countless buildings in the greater Washington area. George was honored as the 2014 Craftsmanship Award Winner by the Washington Building Congress for his work on the Novant Health Haymarket Medical Center. George met Aimee Curry, a nursing student at James Madison University, and they married in 1998. Living in Ellicott City, George took up sailing again and purchased his first cabin sailboat. Wanting to be closer to the Chesapeake Bay, the couple moved to a waterfront neighborhood on Kent Island in 2003. George and Aimee got involved in all aspects of island life: as parishioners at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church, members of Kentmorr Marina and Safe Harbor Narrows Point, and of the Elks Club. They travelled extensively and George captained family sailing trips to the British Virgin and Windward islands. An avid outdoorsman, George enjoyed hunting, fishing, and raced for the Severn Sailing Association. “Getting a workout in” was his mantra and he built extraordinary endurance through weight training, running, and swimming. That endurance served him well in another one of his favorite pastimes – storytelling. George and Aimee’s greatest pride was watching their children excel in sports: Tommy in football and wrestling and Gracie in volleyball and lacrosse. From 2011-2018, George coached Tommy's football team, the Piranahs, leading them to Bayside championship victories in 2017 and 2018, and to the AYF Nationals and State Championship finals in 2017. He was assistant JV coach for the 2018 Kent Island High School football season. George was diagnosed in January 2019 with a glioblastoma, a particularly cruel twist of fate for a man who lost his father to brain cancer when he was just 22. Born on Christmas, George greeted each day with the enthusiasm of someone who knew each day is a gift. He made the final year and a half of his life about action, chief among them: Love – of family, especially Aimee, Tommy, and Gracie, of friends, and of strangers. There was nothing passive about George. As husband, father, captain, coach, and raconteur, George was all in, always. George was a coach and a builder. In lieu of flowers, the Dehney family has designated the following organizations to which memorial contribution checks may be directed: Chesapeake Bay Piranhas In Memory of Coach Dehney P.O. Box 302 Stevensville MD 21666 St. Christopher's Church Building Fund In Memory of George Dehney 1861 Harbor Drive Chester, Maryland 21619 Please find visitation hours below. Mass and burial will be private due to COVID-19 restrictions. Mass will be live streamed. Link will be provided here at time of service.

George Christopher Dehney

December 25, 1971 - October 8, 2020