My deepest condolences to the Job family. George was one of my most favourite human beings in the entire world. He had the biggest heart, the greatest laugh, and the deepest love for his family and friends.
I met George in 2003 when we both worked at Scholastic in Markham. George worked in the warehouse while I worked in the publicity department. Even though we had inter-office delivery, I always found an excuse to go to the warehouse just so I could visit George. He had the personality that drew people to him. He had a way of making everything (and everyone) better.
At Scholastic, George was notorious for giving the warehouse ladies what he thought was a ‘hard time.’ Although, his idea of a hard time was to have them laughing until they had tears in their eyes. They were then so distracted from their work and whatever may have had them feeling down, that all was right with the world - at least for the time being.
George had a kind word for everyone he met. Well…almost everyone…
When the trade department at Scholastic moved to King Street In Toronto, George made daily ‘inter-office’ deliveries to/from Markham/Toronto by van. No matter how busy he was, George would always stop by my desk for a visit when he came to Toronto. We’d talk as long as we could - about absolutely anything and everything. If I was having a bad day, he’d be sure to leave me smiling.
Now, my boss at Scholastic was a rather bitter woman who, on my last day there (I resigned in 2006), kept hassling me about not getting any work done (everything that HAD to be done was completed days before - and my colleagues kept stopping by my desk to say goodbye). George made a special trip on that day to ensure he was there for an extra long time. As he and I were talking, my boss snapped at me and told me to “get back to work.” George, in his quick-witted way, responded on my behalf with, “What are you going to do…fire her?” It was the best line I’d ever heard. And, with that being said, George stuck by my side, and my boss slunk away.
George and I kept in touch after I left Scholastic. We even ran into each other in Scotland, in 2008. He was there with his son and I was there with my husband. I heard George’s voice on the street and ran over to give him a big hug. He was surprised but delighted to see us. We went for a pint in a nearby pub (this was the first time George had met my husband, Derek, who is also Scottish), while George’s son went to buy tickets for the castle tour. George was in his element and loving every moment of showing his son around Edinburgh. It was SO wonderful to see George again - and rather humorous that we had to travel half way around the world to do so!
George and I would continue to talk over the years via phone calls, emails and Facebook. And, George continued to come to Toronto when he could to visit with me and/or both Derek and myself (George had a soft spot for Derek as he was a fellow Scot).
Note: This photo was taken when George met Derek and I at The Caledonian in Toronto, in 2015.
George loved to send me memes, videos and photos. He was especially proud of the photos of he and his great grandson. George loved his family more than anything. You are incredibly lucky to have had him as part of your clan.
We are all better people having known George Job - the man, the myth, the legend.
He will be sorely missed. He will be forever loved.
