George Winnemore, 77, loved the Phillies and making people laugh

George Winnemore, a big man with a big personality and a big laugh, liked being the center of the party.

“He liked being funny,” said daughter Amy. “He loved talking to people. He was very chatty and friendly. He loved his birthday. He loved having a party. He loved laughing and making people laugh and having a good time. He loved the holidays and having family over and running the show.”

Mr. Winnemore, 77, of Springfield, Delaware County, died Monday, May 25, at Riddle Hospital in Middletown Township from complications related to the coronavirus. He had spent his later years at Fair Acres Geriatric Center in Middletown.

Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Winnemore was raised in Colwyn. He graduated in 1961 from Darby-Colwyn High School, where he was a three-sport athlete, including being a pitcher in baseball. His daughter said he wished later in life that he could have remained in baseball, maybe getting to the minor leagues.

After he left high school, he headed for New York, where he worked in sales for Pan American World Airways and spent time as a catalog model.

“When he said ‘Pan Am,’ people would be like, ‘Oh, are you a pilot?’ and he’d say, ‘Well, not exactly,’” his daughter said. “I think he really enjoyed being part of the ’60s up there. He said the company was classy. He always had a lot of respect for the company and working up there.”

As for modeling, his daughter said: “He was a huge ham. We have his head shots. Some people don’t like to have their picture taken. He loved his picture to be taken.”

A few years after he left New York, Mr. Winnemore spent the summer of 1975 in Avalon, N.J., working as a bartender. It was there he met his future wife, Carol Matt, on her birthday. The couple spent some time in South Jersey before moving to Springfield, and Mr. Winnemore worked in real estate and insurance.

He was a big fan of the Phillies, attending an average of about a dozen games per season. His daughter said he especially loved the 1993 Phillies with John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, and Darren Daulton, and the family attended every home World Series game that year.

Mr. Winnemore also loved photography and “always tried to capture just the right sunset,” his daughter said.

He battled dementia the last 10 years of his life.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Winnemore is survived by daughter Kimmie, two sisters, and two grandsons.

— Joe Juliano, jjuliano@inquirer.com