Where’s George?

My lifelong partner, my husband for 64 years, and my best friend, died of heart failure on March 28. He was 89 and he was ready to go. 

That will explain why I have not been posting for the last month.

At the Visitation and Celebration of George’s life last week, people would have noticed that there was no body present nor was there an urn of ashes. Instead we framed the following statement beside his picture:

It was George’s request that his body be donated for the advancement of medical education and research.  On his death, arrangements were made through our local Provincial Department of Health with the Inspector of Anatomy Services, for his remains to be transported directly from the hospital to Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine, the University Medical School where our daughter received her MD.  There his remains will be used to teach medical students and for research. 

This summer we will have a family Memorial and plant an oak tree in his memory at our summer house. George’s ashes will be returned to us in due course and be used to nourish the tree.

George was a museum man and writer and gave of himself throughout a long life in which he was privileged to play a role in seeing that the history of his Province and Canada were preserved for future generations.  With the donation of his remains, he continues to give of himself for the good of others.

George was the love of my life and as I mourn that he is gone, I am comforted by the realization that he lives on in my memories and in the memories of those of us who knew him well.  I like to think that  a person like George is never really gone.  I feel that, in a lovely way, he lives on in those he knew and influenced and, through them, to younger generations.  Rie