My dad meant the world to me. As most of you know…. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. My dad admitted long ago that he never wanted kids. He fought my mom on it every time the subject came up. Funny thing though, the second I was born, his world turned upside down and he would never be the same. I was his everything. A few years later, my brother, Rolando, came along. He was beyond thrilled to have a son. He loved us both so very much. Fact is, my dad loved and cared about everyone that was lucky enough to come into his life.
Dad grew up in Syria in a large family. Although he didn’t have the easiest childhood, he was always surrounded by love. The family eventually moved to Venezuela, where to this day many still live. At a young age and with hardly any cash at hand, my dad made his way to the States. He found himself living in Springfield, Illinois, where he was able to find work on a farm, helping around the grounds and learning to work on cars. The knowledge he gained from working on these cars was the driving force that led him to follow his dreams of becoming a successful businessman. He ultimately made his way to Los Angeles where he opened up his very own gas station in Hollywood that was popular to the likes of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Zsa Zsa Gabor. With hard work, a great personality, and street smarts second to none, my dad lived the American Dream.
Los Angeles was also where my dad met my mom, Elena. They dated for a while and after a few years they would eventually marry. My mom and dad have enjoyed each other’s company ever since. They have loved, laughed, fought, screamed, cried and gone through every possible roller coaster of emotions together. My dad loved my mom so very much. 45 wonderful years together. My, how time flies.
One of the best things about my dad was that he was basically a big kid himself. My brother and I had the most amazing childhood. Season passes to Disneyland, the Zoo, and Sea World, along with all of the other wonderful places we visited and all the time we spent doing fun family things. I loved watching my dad run to get in line at Disneyland to ride Space Mountain for the 4th time in a row! He really loved life and definitely lived it to the fullest.
After moving to Temecula in his later years, dad took it down a notch, but definitely continued to live it up! He loved having Saturday morning coffee with his nephew, Cesar, and then it was off to his new passion, the casino, or “his business,” as he liked to call it. He would wake up every day and go to Pechanga, walk around and say hello to all the staff and regulars, have his tea, and then maybe sit down and play Baccarat, his favorite game. Surprisingly, dad never overdid it. He won some, he lost some, but he somehow managed to make it a pastime rather than a bad habit. I’m so thankful he was able to enjoy doing what he loved until the very end.
Now, everyone that really knows dad will know that his absolute most favorite thing in life was to BBQ and feed everyone until they had food coming out from their ears!! My dad’s BBQ was hands down the best thing you will ever taste. His signature “juicy bread” would make you melt. The greatest thing about it though, was seeing the huge smile on his face when he watched you savor that first bite. All dad ever wanted to do was take care of the ones he loved and make sure that they were happy. Food was his favorite way of accomplishing this. “This tastes great, George” or “this is unbelievable” was music to his ears.
Music to my ears was my dad’s laugh! His laugh was the absolute best! Family would often get him started by trying to mimic his laugh and this would just get my dad going full force! It was hilarious! The louder he got, the more the rest of us would laugh. This could go on forever. My dad’s sense of humor fueled these laughing fits even more. He was such a funny guy. I miss this laugh more than anything.
In the end, many of us could tell that my dad was slowing down and was not the George that he used to be. I take comfort in knowing and seeing that the last two months of his life may have been his happiest. A new baby girl came into his life, and just as I had mentioned earlier that a baby turned his world upside down, I believe it finally came back full circle. The happiness that his granddaughter Dryden brought to my dad cannot be expressed in words. All I had to do was look at him with her, and I knew everything in the world was good.
It’s difficult to imagine him not being around and I’m not sure how we will all cope. Dryden, my mom, my brother, my husband Colin, my cousins Cesar and Robert and Rebecca and my dad’s dear friend Alan will miss him dearly. I know most of you out there will all miss him in your own special way. It’s strange to think that I can’t just give him a call to let him know that we’re coming up to Temecula and for him to start preparing the food for the BBQ. Dad lived a long and happy life, and thankfully only succumbed to a quick and hopefully painless end. As I mentioned numerous times, he lived life to the fullest, and left us doing what he loved. If only we could all be so lucky.
As we gather here today to remember and commemorate his life, let’s bid him farewell as we mourn the loss of a lively, amazingly beautiful soul. A soul that brought joy and fulfillment to many, and whose legacy will live on forever.
Dad, you have given us the gift of love that is more precious than anything in this world. Goodbye, Dad. You will always live on in our hearts.
