George Johan Miclea, 80, of Lake Forest, Ca, went to be with the Lord on December 5, 2022 after a brief illness. He was born on October 2, 1942 and raised in the small farm village of Grebenac, Serbia as the third oldest of eight children.

He always enjoyed learning and absorbing new information, especially about exploring the world, with visions and hopes for new possibilities and adventures one day.  At the early age of 14, he was sent alone to be an apprentice in a machine shop in the city of Vrsac, Serbia where he learned about building and repairing engines. This was not easy nor pleasant and quickly realized there wasn't much of a future staying where he lived.

At the age of 17, he decided to attempt an escape out of the Communist/Socialist country of former Yugoslavia along with a couple friends.  Upon narrowly reaching Italy, after his friends were captured by border guards, he was placed in a Refugee Camp in Latina, Italy for 7 months. He was thankfully sponsored by the American Council of Churches in 1962 and flew to America to the city of New York to start his new life.

In 1965, he alone took a Greyhound bus from NYC to make a new and final home in Southern California. In 1968, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, where he served on active duty for two years in Alaska and, after being honorably discharged, continued as an Army Reserve for the next six years.  He was a true patriot and deeply respected his new country of America.

On December 23, 1970, George married his life partner, Olga Isak, in Inglewood California, with whom he would have celebrated their 52 ^nd Anniversary on December 23, 2022.  Newly married and with the courageous and adventurous spirit that would define his whole life…the young couple both quit their jobs, packed their 1970 Ford Maverick with camping gear and took off on a three-month camping tour across America.

Always striving to improve, George used the GI Bill to continue his education while working full time, with the hope of reaching his goals ahead. The young couple purchased their first home in Inglewood, California and were blessed with two children, Anne Catherine (1972) and George Anthony (1974).

In 1975, he took a bold step by moving to El Toro, CA where he lived out the rest of his days.

George was determined in all he did, eventually taking the next courageous step in starting his own business in 1985 – G & O Electronics, Inc. He spoke fluently in 6 languages: Romanian, Serbian, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish which helped him, along with his expertise in electronics and robotic systems, to secure US Government contracts to work and explore different countries around the world.

The most important of all decisions made by both George and Olga was giving their hearts to the Lord and following Jesus Christ in 1981.

George was a family man, to whom family was above all else.  God provided many joys in his life through gardening, nature, bird watching, many hobbies and traveling. The children and others remember fond memories of many camping trips, fishing at lakes and spending much time at the ocean. He was an experienced scuba diver and extremely talented spear fisherman and taught many others how to catch fish, as well as shared his fish with anyone who asked.

Travel brought so much pleasure to George because he could visit places he only read about and could discover new places he would greatly enjoy. Hawaii and their lake home in Lake Havasu, AZ were two of his favorite places to visit and share with family and friends.

George is survived by his wife, Olga, who was the love of his life for almost 52 years, his children, Anne (Stan) Milovancev and George (Angela) Miclea, nine beloved grandchildren who called him "Papa/Grandpa"- Lance (Samantha DeGroft), Sabrina and Bianca Milovancev, Avery, Jared, Seth, Whitney, Gabrielle and Grace Miclea, sisters Georgina (Jonel) Konstantin and Kornelija Mirkov and his brother Pavel (Purrie) Miklja. He was also blessed with many cousins, nieces and nephews whom he loved very much! George is preceded in death by his parents, George and Maria Miclea, brothers Jon and Josif Miklja and Elijah Miclea, sister Marija Stojiljkovic and nephews Jonel Oldja and George Miklja.

To his final breath, George maintained his Faith in Christ and his love for his family.

Please join us in celebrating his life on Thursday, December 22, 2022 at McCormick & Son Mortuary: 25000 Moulton Parkway Laguna Hills California 92653. Private family viewing 9-9:30am, open viewing 9:30-10am, service to begin at 10am. Gravesite Burial will be held at 1:00pm at El Toro Memorial Cemetery: 25751 Trabuco Rd Lake Forest California 92630.

Following the burial service, ALL are welcome at 3pm to a reception Clubhouse at 14731 Holly Oak Ave, Irvine, CA 92606

In lieu of flowers, please help someone in need or donate to your favorite charity.

For those who will not be able to attend the funeral, the live stream will be available on: https://www.acclapuente.org/live