Saturday, July 7th, 1945 – Sunday, September 7th, 2025
George Carl Vena, age 80, of Little Rock, AR, died on Sunday, September 7th, 2025. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the son of Frances M. (Frank) Vena and Maria Giuseppa (Mary Josephine) Turco Vena. He was born on July 7, 1945, the seventh child of an immigrant family from Castro Libero, Cosenza, Italy.
George was a graduate of St. Joseph High School (now St. Joseph Academy) in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He received a BA from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, a Master’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Juris Doctor Degree from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL. He was licensed to practice law in Arkansas and Illinois.
After graduating from Marquette, he served for two years in the Peace Corps in Tarija, Bolivia. After his return to the United States from Bolivia, he taught in secondary schools in Wisconsin. Upon graduating from law school, George and his former wife, Cheryl Streiff, moved to Arkansas, where Cheryl’s maternal grandmother resided. The couple had four children: Adrienne (Tristan) Warg of Little Rock; Elenore (Ryan Frank) Vena of Springfield, Missouri; Beatrice (Dashiell Menard) Vena of Brooklyn, New York, and George E.F. Vena of Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time of his death, George had three greatly adored grandchildren: Atticus and Zara, Frank, and Ronan Warg.
George worked for a time in the private practice of law. Then, in 1985, he became a Staff Attorney and later an Administrative Law Judge with the Arkansas Public Service Commission. He also served as an Arkansas Deputy Attorney General for utility matters. In 1995, George became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Arkansas, working on the criminal prosecution of white collar crime. He retired in 2011. George spent his retirement equally committed to spending time with his family, chatting with friends and relatives, cooking elaborate dinners, hosting coffee groups, and being everyone’s go-to guy for advice, encouragement, and laughter. He will be terribly missed by all who knew him.
George was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Emil, Eugene, Dante, Sam, and Frank. He is survived by his children and grandchildren, sister, Amelia Engel of Bradenton, Florida, many beloved nephews and nieces and grand nephews and nieces, and a host of cousins in the United States and Italy, as well as countless close friends and colleagues.
There will be a private visitation, but please join the family on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at St George Cemetery, 2901 Sheridan Rd. Kenosha, WI at 11:30 am for graveside prayers. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Partners of the Americas, Arkansas-East Bolivia Chapter, or Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church, 1003 N. Tyler Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205.
A memorial Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church in Little Rock on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 2 p.m.
