A Memoriam

I have no reason for doing this other than wanting to get in words about the person George was. So I will always remember him. When you grow up and have friends that are friends for life in your youth, you feel bad when you drift apart from them. Then you meet someone who shows you what life is to them.

George was a handsome Ben Affleck look alike.

He was always happy...always.

His mom married into a family that soon becamse wealthy. Her husband raised George and his sister Pam. Soon everyone in that family, except George, his sister, and his mom recieved a monthly per capita check from their casino. Hid George ever feel bad about that? No, never.

He worked as a black jack dealer for awhile before he was fired. Then he worked as a bell at the tribe's casino. Not even caring when every laughed at his safari style uniform, complete with a safari hat.

His nickname was Curious George or even Curious. He had a tattoo of Curious George with a war bonnet and tomahawk on his arm. He embraced and owned his nickname.

I remember one night we was all partying at the bar by the Casino and then we all decide to go to the beach. George had joked to take his boat across the lock and dam to make it for last call at the bar in Wisconsin. I remember we was trying to get his attention at the beaach and we kept saying "George! Curious!" but he was too into his current chick.

So my then bf said "The man in the yellow hat!"

George stood straight up and said "I still can't find that fucker!"

He was always laughing and smiling. When we worked together at the bowling alley as the waitstaff he always made more in tips than everyone else, because he was so happy all the time. He never forgot a face or a drink. He never failed to help someone out. One time at the bar he couldn't get nobody to dance with him so he danced on the dance floor all by himself to Tom Petty's "You don't know how it feels." I remember watching him and thinking, man he is living life.

The night he tried to do a u turn in front of a semi was his last night. His little brother was with him and a limo driver for the casino was one of the first on the scene. The limo driver said George was crying to him telling him to get his little brother out of the car. He helped George pull Nate out of the wreck and had just finished when the paramedics pulled up.

Thats when the limo driver noticed George in the drivers seat, he had died upon impact, they said. There was no way he could have made it out the wreckage to help pull his brother out.

I will always remember George as the free spirit who never had a half empty glass and never failed to help someone out.

Before I left Minnesota I put a Curious George toy on his grave. I think he would have liked that.