RIP George

George and Nikos

While working on Turama we had our AV/IT Officer George pass on after the first season. He was a great guy and always of a happy disposition although he had a very hard life. His wife was suffering from terminal cancer for several years and it was eating George and his money to the extent he actually was with his back against the wall as I understood from the few conversations we had. Still he did not complain of the expenses of having his wife in the hospital.

It was a Friday in Lavrion where we were sat for the winter and the Greek crew living in Athens left for home. Foreign and on duty crew always stayed onboard. Later I heard that George had had to stop on the roadside on his way home and call his brother to come pick him up as he didn't feel good. Apparently this had happened but on Monday George did not come to work.

His brother had gone to call on him on Sunday as he had not picked up his phone on Saturday. Turns out he had cleaned up the house, put on his best suit and was lying on his bed. His heart had given up so he died before his terminally ill wife. Some days later George was buried and all crew that could go, went also, to pay their respects. They even brought the wife from the hospital with an ambulance. 

I heard then that two weeks later she also had joined her husband in the ever after. I cannot help it but to  think that George probably could have gotten treatment for his heart but who knows what the condition was, as a true Greek he smoked like a chimney and liked all the good stuff. Could also be he saw this as a way out, maybe he was tired of the life. 

Still just goes to show how fragile life and we never know when the end is coming. Rest in peace George.