To George Owen

A tribute to the late
George E. Owen

George used to say, "I may not be pretty, but, at least, I’m unique." About that he was absolutely right. He was not very pretty and he certainly was unique. I think it was his uniqueness that enabled George to leave us a legacy that I don’t think he was completely aware of, but a legacy that deserves to be mentioned today.

First, George left us a model or an example of a man who refused to give up on his hopes and dreams. Of course, the rest of us thought George’s dreams were unrealistic. But George did not care what the rest of us thought because they were his hopes and his dreams. He steadfastly held on to them until the very end, leaving us an example of a determined guy who just refused to quit trying to make his dreams a reality.

Ironically, the second legacy George left us was his heart. I say ‘ironic’ because as George’s bad heart (his physical heart) got weaker and weaker and finally stopped, his good heart (his emotional heart) got stronger and stronger. His good heart enabled George to tell those of us who were close to him that he loved us. It helped George recognize, appreciate, and sometimes express his gratitude for the support he got on a daily basis from so many people, many of whom are here today. Of course, the primary source of this support came from my mother whose devotion to George will someday be part of her legacy. But today George has left us his good heart.

Finally, George left us his sense of humor. He had a very active sense of humor and could tell the same jokes over and over and enjoy them every time. Now I realize we are in a church, but I bet we can all close our eyes and remember a joke that George told us. Who knows? We all may be thinking of the same one.

In closing, I will just say good bye, George and thanks for what you left us. We all love you, too.

This is my best recollection of a eulogy I delivered at George's funeral 14 years ago.