After fighting the good fight at the “young” age of 82 George passed away surrounded by his family - Judy, the love of his life for over 55 years, along with kids and grandkids: Alex, Sue, Ben and Spencer and Karri, Peter, Samantha and Jamie. Family meant everything to George, and after 9 months of battling lung cancer, through the help of MAID he was able to be with all of us in his final moments.

From the first time they met, Judy knew she found her person and he knew he’d found his. He was her love, her protector, and her biggest supporter. They were each other's partner in the truest sense of the word – as friends, lovers, parents, grandparents, running buddies, travel companions or just doing the crosswords together over breakfast. “A couple for the ages” as one friend described them.

Always the life of the party, George was ready with a story and smile. He made friends wherever he went – at work, on trips, at hockey, walking in the ravine or even in a grocery store lineup! George’s outgoing, caring and friendly approach and sharp intellect served him well in his career in business and sales and, later, in IT leadership. He made lifelong friends at work and thrived on mentoring others in his field. Everyone loved him because he accepted them as they were with an open heart and no judgement.

When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed building and renovating – Home Depot was his second home. A natural sportsman, he always said he preferred to ‘do’ rather than ‘watch’ sports. A demon on skates, he was the Junior Boys Figure skating champion of Hungary as a youth, and was playing pick-up hockey three times a week as recently as March of this year. He set a wonderful example for his family and friends, by staying fit and strong so he could always be ready for whatever adventures he and Judy could dream up. Whether it was running marathons, skating, or going on riding, hiking, walking, whitewater rafting or diving trips all over the world – he was up for it! Closer to home he was just as happy walking in the ravine with his fur baby Roxy. All that is impressive enough, but he also had musical talent to spare, enjoying concerts, playing blues guitar, and dancing up a storm at every opportunity.

The world's best dad – he was involved in his kid's lives long before it was the norm for men to be so engaged with child rearing. He cuddled his babies, coached many junior sports leagues, played tirelessly with kids on vacations, got deeply involved in their schooling and mentored them in their work lives and long into adulthood.

That love for kids continued, in fact was amplified, with his grandkids. He absolutely adored them, spending countless hours with them together and individually. He enjoyed teaching them and loved seeing them grow from babies into brilliant young adults. They, in turn, basked in his unconditional support and affection. They benefited from both his wisdom and his silliness! His special gift was that he treated them as individuals, he understood all of their unique personalities and strengths and was unbelievably proud of each of them.

George touched the lives of everyone he knew with his wisdom, humour and generosity. We will do our best to live up to his example and support each other but we will miss him forever.

(In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to a charity that is important to you in George's name.)