George Joseph Moss, Jr., 88, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Springfield, Virginia, died on May 20, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale.

George was born in Washington, DC to George Joseph Moss and Joyce Warren Moss on March 24, 1938.  He grew up in the Springbrook neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland, a community developed by his father, and was a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School.  George graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland.

He married Mary Elizabeth Lawrence on May 4, 1963, in St Matthews Cathedral in Washington DC. Together they had three children, and built a loving family home in Bethesda, Maryland.

George enjoyed a career as a civilian engineer spanning five decades, beginning at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, Maryland, and the US Naval Oceanographic Office in Washington, DC. In 1976, he moved to the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and his family made their home in Slidell, Louisiana. When George returned to the Washington area with his family, he continued his career as a systems engineer at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC; then after retiring, worked as an engineer and senior engineer at EG & G Technical Services in Virginia. 

During the course of his career, George developed navigation systems, acoustic sensors and sonar, oceanographic/geophysical systems, and combat systems; and earned more than six patents for his inventions. He was a Life Member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and belonged to ASNE (American Society of Naval Engineers) and the US Naval Institute.

A lifelong sailor, George had a keen interest in all things maritime. He enjoyed sailing with his family on Lake Pontchartrain while living in Slidell, Louisiana.  When George returned to the Washington metro area, he was an avid sailor on the Chesapeake Bay with the Annapolis Naval Sailing Association (ANSA).  George was a member of the (ASA) American Sailing Association, and achieved both ASA 101 and ASA 103 certifications.

The pillar of our family, George was a true Renaissance man who paired a brilliant intellect with an insatiable zest for life. Above all, his loving and kind personality touched everyone he met. He leaves behind a legacy as grand as the life he lived.

George is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Elizabeth Lawrence Moss; his daughters Mary Monica Moss White (Glenn) of Sydney, Australia, and Madeleine Moss Funes (Alejandro) of Miami, Florida; and grandchildren Lauren and Kristen White, and Julian and Bianca Funes. George was preceded in death by his son William Joseph Moss of New Orleans, Louisiana.

A Requiem Mass will be held on June 2 at 1:00pm, preceded by a Visitation at 12:00pm at the Shrine of St Jude Catholic Church in Rockville, Maryland. Interment will follow at Parklawn Memorial Park. He will rest eternally in the cemetery founded by his father.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation on George’s behalf to Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB), an organization that was near and dear to his heart: https://crabsailing.org/