George Joseph Kopser, 75, of Wellborn, Florida, died on May 4, 2022, after a long illness. He was best known by many as a glass industry expert.
As a 19-year-old in 1966, George joined the start-up company to assist his cousin and was personally involved in the application of Hotwork’s innovative technology.
In the early years he held various management positions including responsibility for the aluminium and steel industries, and also for the division responsible for manufacturing burner systems.
George was closely involved in the expansion of services to the glass industry, including glass draining, cullet filling, sulphate burnouts, expansion control supervision and crown rise monitoring.
He participated at the Hotwork seminar from its inception and together with Fosbel, was co-host of the event after it became Hotbels.
A regular participant/presenter at the annual Glass Problems Conference, he participated in and was nominated to Chair the Phoenix Award Committee, which recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to the glass industry.
He last served as Glass Industry Manager and Vice President of Hotwork before retiring in 2014 after 49 years of service.
During his professional career George was a world traveller and enjoyed the food, beverage and culture of every place he travelled.
Constantly taking photos and videos he documented a rich life of friends, family and reunions. In the last 30 years, he and his wife Kathleen travelled quite extensively.
George is survived by his wife Kathleen, son Joseph, daughter Jennifer and several grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to George’s favourite charity, the Anna Gibson Kopser Scholarship Fund at the University of Kentucky.
He and his brothers, Raymond, Larry and the late Fred, Jr, started the scholarship to honour their mother’s lifelong goal-- to be a nurse.
You can contribute here: https://uky.networkforgood.com/causes/6212-anna-gibson-kopser-scholarship-fund
