His Eulogy

This post is mostly for those of you who missed the service for your varied reasons, (travel, religion, and so on) it was well received but it really doesn't cover everything that my dad was to me or the people whose lives he touched.

My Dad was a man of various talents and interests. George means Farmer or Tiller of the soil in Greek. His name itself gives you a good picture of him. He loved to grow things, to raise and nurture, not only his brothers and children but others around him. A soldier, student, teacher and friend. A man with an interesting sense of humor and constant charm. The man loved to learn and bedtime stories were always filled with lessons, every trip involved an educational detour to a fort, hall of fame or museum. A lover of music, dancing, movies, literature and the arts, he taught us to appreciate the old and the new.

He was continually involved in the lives of those around him, whether they were related to him or not. He became a counselor to runaways and abused kids from our high schools, an assistant coach to my swim team, a chauffeur to Teresa's friends and recruiting assistant to Peter's navy friends and shipmates who would come home on leave, and friend to everyone who came into contact with him. Some would describe this as being nosy or a busybody, Dad just called it community service.

Our last major family trip was to Hawaii and we will always be thankful for that time with him. A bunch of us going on a tour of the Big Island with Dad, standing on the summit of Kiluwea while he happily took pictures. While in Oahu, I was lucky enough to have a few dinners alone with him and walk on the beach back to the hotel telling stories and laughing.

George and Teri, or rather Dad and Mom were married for 28 years, long and happy relationship. They had everything they wanted in the first few years of marriage. Through ups and downs they were always together, and at the end she was by his side. I'm sure that she was a comfort to him but I have found that it was a great comfort to me. So we say goodbye to a wonderful friend, father, brother and husband. You are missed, I love you, we love you, and until we meet again.