Goodbye, George...

As I was leaving the car park outside my work place last afternoon, the driver, who regularly sees me to work and home, spotted a man lying on the ground next to his vehicle. We stopped, and my driver went to render assistance.

From my vantage point, I could see the man on the ground was unmoving. CPR was begun, and help was fetched from my workplace as the first responders were called. Two people, one of whom was my driver, kept working until two ambulance teams showed up. As a crowd of our employees and onlookers continued to gather, their faces went from strain to shock, and finally, to tears.

As paramedics worked feverishly, I learned that a colleague had collapsed, and that things did not look good for him. A retired science teacher, writer and very bright and engaging man, George was also a longtime seasonal employee of my company and had many friends there.

The mood was somber today as we all learned that he had passed away. He was just in the process of applying for his social security retirement benefit, and so was still in his sixties...

I hope he will rest in peace and serve as an example of someone who enjoyed his time to the fullest.

Until Next Time...