It is so uplifting to see you all here today, that so many of you were able to come say goodbye to George! It's such an honor for me to be able to speak about such an extraordinary person.
George wasn't always a man for quotes, but there was one he'd tell me every now and again, something that Aristotle once said: "Every day is a risk, and only then does it become worth living."
George was someone who looked at the world with curiosity, who was always chasing new knowledge, and who grabbed life by the reins and mastered it through humor! Whatever he did, he did it with optimism and enthusiasm.
George was the youngest of four siblings and grew up in the suburbs of Springfield. His parents raised him strictly, but also very lovingly – something he'd reference often when talking about his childhood, so full of gratitude.
After graduating from high school, George moved to Boston where he studied law. That's where I got to know him, through one of our classes together. We got along like a house on fire, and before long, we decided to leave dorm life and move into a shared apartment together – still students, but now pretending like we were real adults!
It was while we were living together that he got to know you, dear Claudia, and his joyful outlook on life grew even more than I would have thought possible. I'm so glad that you two didn't wait to get married – George told me just the other month that marrying you was the best decision he made in his life, and your success as partners, dear Claudia, shines through your two children today, Sarah and Nicky. George would always speak of them with such pride and love, even when telling me how Sarah had decided to use the dining room wall as her crayon canvas one day. Nothing could ever phase George!
Although his work kept him busy over the years, George always found time for his family and friends. Whether it was a short-notice invite to a Saturday BBQ or a long weekend holiday up north together, George never forgot the people he cared about.
And every year he'd call me first thing in the morning to wish me a happy birthday. Gestures like this made you realize how much he really cared. I'm so incredibly grateful and lucky to have had George as a friend over all these years!
And today, I think all of us in this room are united by that one common feeling, gratitude that we were able to get to know George and be a part of his life – and him a part of ours. A completely extraordinary person, yet so down to earth, finding time to get involved in the things that he felt mattered....
Sample start of a eulogy
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