George A. Fieo, retired longtime Philadelphia school principal, has died at 97

George A. Fieo, 97, of Glenmoore, veteran and longtime teacher, counselor, vice principal, and principal in the School District of Philadelphia, died Friday, July 7, of congestive heart failure at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.

Raised in South Philadelphia and a graduate of Villanova University, Mr. Fieo spent nearly four decades teaching English, counseling students, and serving as an administrator at Edwin Vare, Jay Cooke, and Horace Furness Junior High Schools, and South Philadelphia High School. He was a teacher and counselor at Furness, vice principal at Cooke, and retired in 1989 as principal at Vare and South Philadelphia’s night school.

Mr. Fieo was the youngest of 12 children born to Italian immigrants. His family valued education as a way to succeed, and his older sister was a teacher in Philadelphia.

He was intelligent, curious, and fascinated by history. He devoured literature and poetry, so it was no surprise that he became an educator, too.

“He was a lifelong learner,” said his daughter Claudia. His daughter Alyssa said: “He was truly a Renaissance man. He always connected well with people, particularly young people.”

Direct and outspoken, Mr. Fieo faced a variety of challenges over his career and was not slow in making changes that he thought benefitted his students. In 1972, as principal at Vare, he responded to increasing gang violence around the school by arranging for residents to monitor a nearby two-block area so students could walk to and from school safely.

“Knock wood,” he told the Daily News that December. “We haven’t had a gang incident in the six weeks” since the start of the watch.

In 1975, as social, racial, and economic issues were hotly debated in the city, Mr. Fieo sought “a better balance” of students at Vare. “Having a socially balanced school makes a better school,” he told The Inquirer. “It’s a more realistic way of being educated.”

In an online tribute, friends said: “We loved George, loved his sense of humor, love of life, and loved arguing about education with him. He was a unique man.”

George Anthony Fieo was born Oct. 25, 1925. He graduated from Southeast Catholic High School (which is now closed) and earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education at Villanova.

He served with the Army Air Forces in the Pacific theater during World War II and met Rose Lammendola in a dance hall in 1956. They married in 1957 and had daughters Claudia and Alyssa, and sons Andrew, Gregory, and Eric. Gregory and Eric died earlier.

Mr. Fieo and his family lived in Wynnewood at first. He had property in Glenmoore and, after building a shed, barn, and house over many years, he and his wife moved there in 1996.

He was an amateur chef who specialized in meatloaf and tomato gravy, and he and his wife competed to see who could impress the most at family dinners. He fashioned himself a gentleman farmer and could name dozens of plants and flowers on sight.

“You could call him to ask how to make pickled eggplant in the same conversation when you needed to know why your hydrangeas might not be blooming,” his daughter Alyssa said. He admired art, had an amazing memory, and could list all the British monarchs and recite poems by Sir Walter Scott.

He and his wife attended the opera often. He had a rich tenor singing voice and was known to belt out his favorite songs or sing along with the Metropolitan Opera while gardening on Saturday afternoons. He made furniture, vacationed at the Jersey Shore, and worked as a docent at Independence Hall during some summers.

His sons Gregory and Eric lived for years with Cooley’s anemia, a blood disorder, and Mr. Fieo supported research into the disease at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for more than 40 years. “We have many memories of his wit, humor, and that special twinkle in his eyes,” a friend said in a tribute. Another said: “Best man I ever knew.”

He was an engaging storyteller and spoke his mind forcefully whether you agreed with him or not. “People loved him anyway,” said his daughter Claudia.

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Fieo is survived by seven grandchildren and other relatives. Six sisters and five brothers died earlier.

Services were held Monday, July 17.

Donations in his name may be made to Cooley’s anemia research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, Box 781352, Philadelphia, Pa. 19178.