George T. Abdow 1930 - 2013 LONGMEADOW - George T. Abdow passed away on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Longmeadow surrounded by his loving family. A resident of Longmeadow, MA and Jupiter, FL, he was born in Worcester, MA on May 29, 1930 to Towfee G. and Adele (Haddad) Abdow. Raised in Worcester, George was a graduate of Worcester Classical, Worcester Academy and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), where he majored in Chemical Engineering. Upon graduation, he worked for DuPont Atomic Energy Center in Aiken, SC. Two years later, upon entering the Army, he was stationed at the Army Chemical Center in Maryland. George, his brother Ronald and sister Phyllis LaVallee opened the first Big Boy Restaurant in West Springfield, MA in 1959. During their 35 years in the restaurant business, George and Ron opened 19 Big Boy Restaurants, 4 Dinner Houses and George served as President of National Big Boy Franchisees. For 12 years, George was on the Board of Trustees at WPI and served as President of the Alumni Association. He was elected to their Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991, where he was on the varsity football and golf teams. In Springfield, George donated his time and service to many boards. Additionally, he chaired many local fundraising events including the American Heart Assn., Red Cross Blood Drives, and Easter Seals. He also served on the Board of Trustees for SIS Bank, WNEC, WPI and Stratton Mt. School. For 30 years he officiated football in the Ivy League and ECAC College competitions. He was a member of Springfield Country Club where he won 4-Four Ball Championships including three consecutive competitions. As an avid golfer, through the years George enjoyed being a member of various clubs such as Longmeadow Country Club and The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, FL. He was a former member of Worcester Country Club and Stratton Mt. Country Club. He was a supporter of Junior Golf in western MA sponsoring Springfield Country Club's Father Child Golf Tournament for over 10 years. He was bestowed the honor of being named Mr. Longmeadow at Longmeadow Country Club for his sportsmanship and dedication to the game of golf. George is survived by his beloved wife, Janet (Rucki) Abdow; two sons, George and his wife, Michelle of Longmeadow and their children Lauren and Alexander, and Paul and his wife, Anne of Longmeadow and their children Katherine and William; his brother, Ronald and his sister, Phyllis (Abdow) LaVallee. Visiting hours for George will be held on Sunday, June 2, 2013 from 4-8pm at Forastiere Smith Funeral Home on 220 North Main Street in East Longmeadow. The funeral will be held on Monday 9:00am at the funeral home, followed by a Mass in St. Mary's Church in Longmeadow at 11am. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of George T. Abdow may be made to Baystate Health Foundation, 280 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199 or to Jupiter Medical Center Foundation, 1210 South Old Dixie Highway, Bldg. East 1002, Jupiter, Florida 33458.

Published by The Republican from May 29 to Jun. 2, 2013.