Sunday, October 8, 2023
It’s Christmas Day in the early 60’s. I’m six or seven years old. I creep down the stairs into our basement to see what treasures Santa has left for me. Instead, I find my sister’s new boyfriend asleep on a couch near the Christmas Tree. He’s covered in tinsel and snoring . . . loudly. George Blakley had entered my life.
In the years that followed, I went on many adventures with Judie and George as they dated and eventually married. There were many weekends in campgrounds in Southern Alberta and the Rockies. Mara Lake, BC, was a frequent and favourite destination.
George’s greatest gift was his passion. If he decided to take something on, he was all in. Whether it was hunting, golf, fishing, camping, dancing, fine dining, world history, or science, George would immerse himself until he fully understood the topic. And he was generous in sharing his new-found knowledge with those around him.
But George’s greatest passion was his love for my sister, Judie. They stuck together through the thickest of the thick and the thinnest of the thin, forging a deep and enduring relationship.
Judie is a strong, patient, and wise woman. She had to be in order to stand beside the gale-force wind that was George.
All my love and best wishes are with Judie, Jay, and Trisha as they go through a difficult transition.
