"Goodbye my fine friend...Goodbye to you my good friend...goodbye"

If we are truly lucky in life, we meet someone whose very nature raises us up to a higher level. Someone who teaches us and guides us and supports us without us really even realizing that they are there at all. George Germann was this to me. I first met him at an open audition at Stage West. I was a transplant fresh out of High School not sure what I would find or who I would meet. As luck would have it we were both cast but because of other obligations he had to drop out. I regret this as we may have had an extra year or so as friends.

Our next meeting was much like the first, at an audition for a show in which we were both cast. He played Hans the Gardener, I a politically incorrect Indian Chief. We struck up conversations during the course of the show and by the end were well on our way to a friendship that would help to define me.

In a relationship lasting almost 10 years he was the Kirk to my Spock, the Han to my Chewie, the Peanut Butter to my Jelly. In other words he was the better half. When I lost my job his first instinct was to invite me over to his house for a rousing game of Dungeons and Dragons to get my mind off of it. When I first moved to Orlando and did not have much money to be able to do things, he willingly and graciously paid my way. When I got into a drinking contest with my Brother in his back room and vomited all over, he cleaned me up, saw them off, and made sure that I was alright to drive the next morning. He dealt with my shortcomings with grace and kindness. Never losing his temper, or judging me for what I had done.

After I moved back in with my parents I had every intention of keeping in touch with him, but life has ways of keeping us from our best laid plans. Like many friends we drifted apart, did not speak to one another as much as either of us would have liked, and were not as much a part of one another’s life as before. This is more my fault than his. I took him for granted, I mean this was George, he would always be there, and there would be plenty of time for me to catch up with him once I had other things straightened out. Obviously life showed me just how naïve that attitude is. This regret will haunt me forever.

But he never took me for granted that I can think of. Whenever he was in town or going to be in town he always called me to get together. When he and Connie married he must have called me 20 times to come and visit. And when I could make the time he was always there with a big smile and an even bigger hug. Such was the man who was George Germann.

For those of you who knew him I am sure you have similar memories. For those of you who loved him I know you do. To his family I offer my condolences for the loss which you have suffered. George was like family to me. He was family to you.

But George would not have wanted us to become depressed at his passing. He would have wanted us to rejoice in the wonder that was his life. So in that spirit I will leave you with a quote from the movie that he and I saw together and that became a favorite of ours.

“Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good. That honor, courage and virtue mean everything. That money and power, power and money mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil, and that love…true love never dies. Remember that. It doesn’t matter if it is true or not. A man needs to believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in.”

I believe that George believed.

George William Germann

December 9th 1981-May 19th 2010