I’m writing this obituary for my husband, George Michael Urbas. George was very kind man. I thought so when I met him as a 17 year old girl. And, although that view of kindness may have been colored by the glow of young love, I can confirm that kindness was one of his strongest traits as it was always there throughout our 45 years of marriage.

We met in 1973. We both worked at a sporting goods store in San Diego. We worked at different locations and initially met over phone calls between the stores. George was shy, so I’m forever grateful to his good friend, Jeff Hardgrave, for convincing George to take the next step. We were married in 1975. We had the best sons anyone could ever ask for, Chris and Tyler. I feel so lucky that we had a loving and fun marriage. Lucky because, as a 17 year old and a 22 year old we didn’t have much experience in making life decisions, and yet, not only did we make a choice that lasted his lifetime, we stumbled into a marriage full of love, fun, acceptance and kindness.

The number of times I heard someone say “George is the smartest person I’ve ever known” cannot be counted. He graduated from San Diego State with a degree in Economics. He had a forever passion for learning and research, was a true deep thinker. He had a love for space, physics, math, and mechanics. He was also humble and freely shared his knowledge with friends, family, and co-workers whenever asked. Everyone wanted him on their trivia team!

George was also gifted musically. He could play music by ear on several instruments.  He also could “name that tune” and artist like nobody’s business. Our basement is full of a wide variety of instruments that George liked to play and collect. Another way I felt his love was that he didn’t wince or plug his ears when I sang slightly, or maybe extremely, off key.

George worked for Boeing for forty years before retiring. He ended his career there as an NC Programmer, writing programs for automated machines that make parts. He loved his work, especially when it involved travel. His expertise and knowledge of NC Programming took him all over the world; England, Germany, Russia, China, Turkey, Canada, Japan and more. The boys and I were lucky to be able to travel and meet him in many of these locations.

His love of knowledge and experiencing new things, partnered with my curiosity for cultures and meeting new people, took us on many great adventures. George and I were always thankful for those times together. His last adventure in life – and most special – was with our grandchildren. Every week, we had large family, and extended family gatherings, called ‘Grandma Day.’ On these days, George enjoyed watching all the grandkids and in the evenings, the kids would come over for dinner. Usually eating his favorite, spaghetti.

I know we’ve all heard this before but here goes, one more time. When George realized his end was near, I can’t tell you how many times he said, “I just want to see and be with the kids and grandchildren. I want to see the grandkids doing laps around the kitchen and living room. Yelling, laughing and screaming preferred. I want to see and hear the boys and their beautiful wives have lively conversations. That’s all I want.”

It was a little tricky in these days of Covid but we did our quarantines and made it happen for him. So remember, family and friends are what you‘ll crave when life comes to an end. Soak up as much of those good times as you can.

Both George and I would like to thank our sisters; Lin and Cathy for coming and staying with us during those last weeks. The depth of appreciation for the help and love they gave is immeasurable. And our sons and their fabulous wives gave us amazing love and support. And our grandchildren, who ran into the house yelling “Grandpa, Grandpa!” and smothering him with hugs and kisses and love. It truly was his favorite thing. Not being able to watch the 5 of them grow up was his greatest sadness. And our friends, from over the years, who took the time to call or write George in his last weeks. He loved being reminded of all of your shared memories. And to his Boeing friends, the Friday afternoon Zoom call, the week before he died, took him back to Fridays at Farelli’s. He thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks Tara for setting it up.

George’s passing, while sad beyond measure, was very peaceful and without pain. He was surrounded by family and passed with us holding his hands and loving him. We won’t be having a funeral or memorial. We opted instead to contact all of you and let you convey your feelings to him, the person who mattered in the moment, rather than waiting until after his death when we would hear the words but he wouldn’t.

George is survived by me, his lucky wife, Terrie, by his fabulous sons, Chris and Tyler and their amazing wives, Holi and Allison. The five best grandchildren on the planet; Cecilia, Andrew, Elliot, Nerren and Hugh. Also by his sister, Linea, whom he loved so much. Lots of nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and many close friends who felt like family.

My family and I are moving forward with the strength of memories supporting us during the sad moments and helping us to be extra happy in the good moments. In George’s memory, I hope you’ll go now and live your best life every moment, as we will be doing.

Love you all