George had so much knowledge and insight to share. He was a faithful Mormon when he was a Mormon and for him that simply meant service to others. He loved his mission, describing it as a "service mission" and he knew he had helped people with their basic needs.
When Prop 8 was being promoted, he took a courageous moral stand against the church leadership by refusing to participate in the campaign. And beyond that he actively and in full view, supported the "No" vote. One wonders how many others took inspiration from him and were able to begin their journey out of the Church.
He collected books and pamphlets from earlier times and could call foul on every denial the PR folks tried to put out about the embarrassing past practices and doctrines.
In spite of his disaffection with the Church, he occasionally attended when it was in support of his family's important events and he was never disrespectful to any individual Mormon, saving his judgment for the abusive and dishonest practices the Church employed.
Yesterday was a celebration of his life..............with Mormons, Catholics, Unitarians, Creeks, & our "Sunday group".
It was not about the plan of salvation. It was about George.
We felt his approval. This tribute to George was about "kindness". George had the gift of story telling. He was a friend to everyone. He made everyone feel special.
I just read the obituary and was impressed at the full and accomplished life that he lived. He changed his beliefs late in his life which shows his integrity, and he was a perfect example to me of leaving with class. It seems to me like he realized the organization was poisonous and not necessarily the people in it. He loved people no matter what they believed. He loved and maintained such positive relationships with his community, his family from Mormonism and all of his other tribes.
That his family and friends remember him for his love and kindness inspires me because it is beautiful to me when humans value the happiness of those around them over satisfying their own egos. To hear that the memorial was about him and his impact on his fellow human beings made me very happy. He could have lived a much more selfish and status seeking life. He could have laid low and not risked shaking up his life when he discovered the problems with Mormonism. I am sure he had his share of flaws, but the good things he did have been very inspiring for me. He impacted our group and my own life.
I am sad that the earth is one good human down, but am happy that he left so many of us better human beings because of how he lived.