From the emergency services headquarters currently under construction in Moosic Borough to the new Riverside School District administration building in Taylor Borough, George Bieber left a strong imprint on the Downvalley.
Bieber – a former Riverside School Board member and current Moosic Borough President – died Friday, Moosic Mayor Robert Bennie confirmed. He was 70.
“I got a call (Friday) night, letting me know, and I talked to his wife,” Bennie said.
The two men previously served together on the school board before working together for Moosic Borough the last four years. Bieber was appointed council President in Dec. 2022.
“It’s a big loss,” Bennie said. “The thing with George is family came first and public service was right there. He was dedicated to Moosic Borough, putting others before himself. His impact can’t be measured. Without George, there is no new Moosic police and fire station being built and there is no new administration building for the Riverside School District, because it was his involvement in both projects that pushed them over the finish line.”
Bieber’s passion for projects like the Santa Patrol also epitomized his love for the borough and its youth, Bennie said.
“George and the late Kevin Harchar, who was also a member of the Riverside School Board and an attorney residing in Moosic, were big contributors in getting that off the ground,” Bennie said. “Every child receives a Christmas stocking every year, and George was a big driving factor and contributor not only of his time and talent, but financially as well. He was a family man first, but Moosic Borough and the Riverside School District meant the world to him. He spent many, many years working to better his community. His legacy will live on for many years with the impact he had on so many different people.”
Riverside Superintendent Paul Brennan remembers Bieber as a “savvy businessman” with a big heart.
“George was known as someone who always had a trusted solution and a trusted person for any need that arose,” Brennan said. “Beyond his business acumen, it was George’s heart that truly set him apart. He brought a profound sense of care and compassion to every decision he made on behalf of Riverside’s students. He made every choice as if all of the students were his own children.”
In honor of Bieber’s memory and the dedicated service he rendered to the borough, flags at all municipal buildings and parks have been ordered to be flown at half-staff until the day of the funeral service, according to a note on the Moosic Borough Facebook page.
To the end, Bieber cared deeply about the borough and its leaders, Bennie said.
“He was a dear friend,” he said. “He came out and voted in the May primary and the last thing he said to me was ‘I love you, brother.’”
While Moosic Borough Council will vote on electing a new president during its next meeting July 7, Bennie noted it’s not as simple as appointing a new person to fill the role.
“(George) was always willing to go above and beyond, and put the good of the community ahead of everything,” Bennie said. “He’s going to be sorely missed. Somebody like him cannot be replaced.”