MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Former longtime Martinsburg Mayor George Karos is being fondly remembered following his death Sunday at the age of 93.
Karos, who was born Sept. 10, 1931, served 24 years as an at-large member of Martinsburg City Council from 1976-2000 followed by 20 years (2000-2020) as the mayor.
In a 2020 on the floor of the U.S. Senate, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito paid tribute to Karos following his decision to not seek re-election.
“George’s favorite mottos are, ‘Plan your work and work your plan’ and ‘A closed mouth catches no flies,'” Capito said. “These were the words George followed every day when he was working as mayor. It helped keep progress moving and they perfectly described how George conducted himself each and every day and they explain why he was reelected many times and why he was so beloved in his community.”
Capito posted on X Monday.
“I’m saddened to hear of George Karos’ passing. Serving as Mayor of Martinsburg for 20 years, George’s dedication and passion for bettering his community left a lasting legacy on our entire state,” she said. “From the moment we met, I knew he was a strong leader and a wonderful friend to all and I always looked forward to our visits. My prayers are with his family.”
I’m saddened to hear of George Karos’ passing. Serving as Mayor of Martinsburg for 20 years, George’s dedication and passion for bettering his community left a lasting legacy on our entire state.
From the moment we met, I knew he was a strong leader and a wonderful friend to all…
— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) June 2, 2025
Karos was the son of Greek immigrants. Growing up he worked at Patterson’s Drug Store on Queen Street and later would own the store until 2015.
The City of Martinsburg paid tribute to Karos Monday.
“During his elected terms on Martinsburg City Council and mayor, Karos was part of numerous economic development projects. Those include the 1986 of Martinsburg City Hall and Police Department, the development of the Martinsburg Mall and Foxcroft Avenue, Historic Downtown re-development, the creation of Main Street Martinsburg, new water and wastewater facilities as well as the new police department headquarters and municipal court building currently under construction,” the city’s statement said.
Upon announcing his decision not to run for re-election in 2019, Karos said, ‘I would like to thank everyone that has made my public service tenure successful: citizens, businesses, community, local, state and federal officials, the dedicated City of Martinsburg team of staff and employees and, particularly, my wonderful supportive family. It has been an honor to serve the City of Martinsburg, its businesses and citizens.'”
Karos was instrumental in bringing the Martinsburg Initiative to life in the city and in an archived interview on Panhandle Live talked about improvements he was seeing.
“We have to change the perception of downtown,” Keros said. “Martinsburg Police Department has done a fantastic job along with the drug task force.”
The city flag will be lowered in Karos’ honor on the Martinsburg Town Square.
Edited to reflect his age as 93