George E. Ottavinia "Coach O"

George was born on November 9, 1942 in Elmira, NY. He lived there with his parents Eugene and Rose Ottavinia, older sisters Joyce and Jane, and younger brother Gary. The family moved to New Jersey in 1959. George attended Paramus High School where he was a member of the baseball team and met his future wife, Doreen. He graduated in 1960 and enlisted in the US Army. George was a proud veteran who served his country for three years including an 18-month deployment as a cartographer in the Intelligence Division in Germany.

George married Doreen in December 1964 and graduated from Paterson State College with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1968. He began his 30-year teaching career in Westwood, NJ at Brookside Elementary. In 1978, the family - now including children Jennifer, Paul, and Amy - moved to Flanders, NJ. It was here that George began his over 40-year association with the Mt. Olive School district, where he was known as “Mr. O”. He was a sixth-grade teacher at both Tinc Road Elementary as well as Mt. Olive Middle schools. He also coached various high school teams, and, even after “retiring”, Coach O (as he was affectionately known) continued to work at athletic events for the school district until 2021. He was inducted into the Mount Olive High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

George’s love for scholastics and sports, and his ability to connect with others, had a lasting impact on everyone who knew him – as former players, colleagues, and parents can attest. He was a Morris County baseball and softball umpire and an assistant baseball coach at County College of Morris and Mt. Olive high school. George was the Mt. Olive High school softball coach for 17 winning seasons. He championed girls’ high school athletics and developed lifelong friendships with his athletes. George and his teams won many championships and accolades; but, he always cared about his players more than the results. His primary goal was to help develop his student athletes to become the best versions of themselves on and off the field.

George shared his love of education, sports, and the outdoors with his children. He was extremely proud of them and enjoyed watching them grow up in Mount Olive, grow their families, and build their careers. He never ran out of energy - in the classroom, on the ball field, hunting, fishing, playing golf, and doing yard work. He loved people and was greeted by name wherever he went in Mt. Olive. He enjoyed engaging with his coworkers, his students, his buddies at the bagel shop, his hunting and fishing friends, his snowplow customers, and the various local businesses he frequented.

George is survived by his devoted partner and wife of 58 years Doreen Kern Ottavinia; daughter Jennifer Davis and her husband Jeff; son Paul Ottavinia and his wife Ivy; and daughter Amy Ottavinia; six grandchildren Ashley, Luke and Cole Davis; Dalton and Grayson Ottavinia; and Alexa Ottavinia; brother Gary Ottavinia and his wife Donna of Lake Placid, NY; sister Jayne Graybill of Phoenix, Arizona; and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Eugene and Rose Ottavinia and his sister Joyce Graham.

George’s Life Celebration will include a visitation on April 19th from 2-4pm and 6-8pm (feel free to wear your favorite baseball cap!) at the William J. Leber Funeral Home (908) 879-3090, 15 Furnace Rd, Chester, NJ 07930. A funeral Mass will be held at St Jude Roman Catholic Church on April 20th at 10:30am.

Interment will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Chester, NJ.