George W. Goetz

George Goetz passed away suddenly on Sept. 22, 2013. He was born on Aug. 10, 1943 in New York City and spent his childhood in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

He is survived by his wife, Judy; daughter, Melanie of San Francisco; brother, Bernard of New York City; and sister, Barbara Weinstein of St. Albans, Vt.

He graduated from Cornell University in 1966 with a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering. His professional career began at Eaton Corporation in Southfield, Mich. and he continued on to TRW Corporation in Michigan. In 2000 he accepted a transfer to TRW in Mesa and settled in Fountain Hills.

After his retirement he stayed involved in engineering as a consultant to the Canadian company, N2 Towers of Belleville, Ontario. There they used his expertise in airbag technology to help develop fire suppression systems for military vehicles using inert nitrogen instead of fluorocarbons.

Over his career George spent the majority of his time developing safe and effective air bag systems. He was a brilliant and innovative engineer who developed over 40 patents on the airbag, which has been used to save countless lives. While certainly unconventional, he was kind and generous to all who knew him, and he will be sorely missed.

A visitation will be planned in the near future. For information, contact his wife Judy at (480) 836-8333.