George J. Kaplan

George Joseph Kaplan, 62 years old, born in September, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his early childhood, he lived in Camden, NJ until his family moved to Willingboro, NJ. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He met his wife Deborah Kaplan (nee Evans) in high school History Class. He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Willingboro, NJ in 1975, and attended Burlington County College. He started Allied Steel Corporation in 1979 with his partner Richard Davies. Allied Steel Corporation designed and built commercial metal buildings as well as combo office/warehouse buildings in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His greatest joy was when his daughters, Jennifer and Kelleigh were born. He was so proud of them and their achievements. In 2010, George developed non-smokers COPD, which he was later diagnosed as having a rare bronchiolitis obliterans lung disease. George reached the point, that he needed to get a bilateral lung transplant. In January of 2019, George was finally able to get on the National Lung Transplant List. He was overjoyed of the prospect of a better quality of life. He received the call to come to the hospital on February 10, 2019 as a donor had been matched to him. He had his double lung transplant on February 11-12, 2019 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He was very mechanically inclined, didn’t need instructions to build or put things together. He was an amazing carpenter and he loved to build furniture. His mother told stories about him taking apart his toys to see how they were made. He also took the hinges off a door, that they tried to keep him out of the room behind it. He was a math whiz. He loved boating and traveling in his RV, and he and his family traveled through all but three States in the lower 48. His dream was to drive to Alaska and back again. He was a practical joker and had a great sense of humor. He was an avid reader and enjoyed talking to people. He also helped his wife’s parents with lining up reputable contractors to repair their shore house after Super Storm Sandy flooded it completely. And he is one of the owners of Peddlers Warehouse Marketplace in Sicklerville, NJ. George and Deborah Kaplan were married for 39 years. He is Survived by his wife, Deborah Kaplan, daughters Jennifer Kaplan and Kelleigh (Austin) Kelley, Grandson Thomas Kelley, Mother Frances Kaplan, Sister Laura (Michael) Burns and Niece Erin Burns. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his honor to the Gift of Life Donor Program.