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Well-Known Businessman Dies

A well-known businessman and philanthropist from Luzerne County has died. George Sordoni, 65, of Dallas died Tuesday in Florida after police said he lost contro...

A well-known businessman and philanthropist from Luzerne County has died.

George Sordoni, 65, of Dallas died Tuesday in Florida after police said he lost control of his motorcycle on Interstate 75 near Naples.

George was a member of the well-known Sordoni Construction family, the grandson of the man who started the company in Forty Fort in 1910.

In its more than 100 years, the company has done projects for hundreds of area businesses, including King's College and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

George split his time between Florida and Pennsylvania, but was active in the community, serving on the boards of several charitable and educational organizations, including Wyoming Seminary in Kingston.

"It`s a shock to everybody, a real shock. We just talked to him yesterday. My assistant just talked to him yesterday," said Dr. Kip Nygren, president of Wyoming Seminary.

Nygren said when he was hired to head Wyoming Sem, Sordoni was chairman of the board and over the years, had a large impact on the school.

"George was a really interesting guy. A bigger than life person in lots of ways. George was in charge, you could tell that, but he liked working behind the scenes," added Nygren. "Thirty-two years on the board, 15 years as the board chair, a lot of impact on the programs, on our endowment, on our facilities, just everywhere George`s impact was felt."

In 1994, George Sordoni was one of the founding members of The Luzerne Foundation, which aims to improve the quality of life for residents of Luzerne County by working with donors, charities, and other organizations.

"Kids, health and wellness of our community were paramount to him," said Charles Barber, president and C.E.O. of The Luzerne Foundation.

Barber said George was an important part of the Wyoming Valley, who died doing what he loved.

"It was very sad. Way too young, 65, but I think that he was doing what he loved when he passed away because he certainly loved motorcycles and he’s ridden motorcycles pretty much all over the country and many parts of the world," said Barber.

"He was an energetic man, very committed to the community, very involved with his family," he added. "His council, time and talent is certainly going to be very significantly missed."

Funeral arrangements for George Sordoni have not yet been announced.

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