George A. Chisholm Jr.

George Chisholm Obituary

In Evertt, formerly of Revere & South Boston, August 15, at 69 years, unexpectedly. Beloved husband of 40 years to Josephine P. (Strangie). Devoted father of Kelly A. Foley & husband William of Everett, Bryan J. Chisholm of Revere & Michelle C. Masella & husband John of Stow MA. Cherished grandfather of Breanna D. & Brady M. Foley. Dear brother of Susan Sullivan of Halifax MA. Family & friends are invited to attend the Funeral from the Vertuccio Home for Funerals, 773 Broadway (Rte 107) REVERE on Wednesday, August 20 at 9 AM follwed by a Funeral Mass in the Immaculate Conception Church Everett at 10 AM. Visiting hours are Tuesday only 5-9 PM. Parking available in the lot left of the funeral home. Late memeber of Teamsters Local #25, Reedy Meadows Golf Club of Lynnfield, and the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery. Remembrances may be made to the Make a Wish Foundation, 1 Bulfinch Pl, Boston MA 02114.

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Published by Boston Globe on Aug. 17, 2008.

Memories and Condolences
for George Chisholm

9 Entries

Bill Foley

February 4, 2009

This is the second half of the eulogy, given by George's daughter Michelle.

Those of you who knew my father well know that he was one of the most calm and easy-going people one could ever meet. My husband and I always asked of ourselves in stressful situations, “What would George do?” Without fail the answer was always, “nothing” because he rarely reacted; he simply accepted things as they were and moved on. Just this past Thanksgiving my then three-year old nephew Brady disappeared in all the normal chaos of the holidays and managed to flood the toilet in my parent’s house. Water was cascading down the stairs into the living room and through the ceiling onto my parent’s new couch. While family members were frantically searching out pots and pans to collect the water and attempting to move furniture from the water’s path, my father sat, arms rested behind his head, and enjoyed the Thanksgiving Day football game. It would get taken care of, he insisted. He never felt the need to overreact or lose control in a difficult situation.

He was also a man of leisure. From his unhurried completion of projects around the house to his driving a steady 65 mph on the highway, he seldom felt the need to rush through or to anything. I believe our lives could all benefit if we could only be as composed and cool as my father was.

My father was an honest and hard-worker, and he instilled his strong work ethic into his children. While I was growing up, my father woke at 4 am, five days a week to start his first job delivering stacks of newspapers for The Boston Herald. He’d then spend his day driving a truck at his regular job, often coming home at 6 or 7 o’clock at night. Although his work was often physically demanding, he rarely complained or missed a day’s work. I have vivid images of my father going to work with a brace on his back, standing crooked and clearly in extreme discomfort. He did this without protest and managed to come home at the end of the day with a smile on his face.

Despite his long work hours, he always had time for his family. He loved vacations and made sure that we traveled together as a family every summer. I remember spending days at Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park, going to Cape Cod, camping at Harold Parker, and spending weeks at a small resort in New Hampshire called “The Elms.” Then of course there was the Mittersill resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My father loved the Mittersill resort and cherished the times when our friends and extended family members would spend time with us in New Hampshire.

Even though you might catch him snoozing in a dark recital hall, he never missed a recital, play or sporting event for any of his children or grandchildren. Most recently, he treasured the time in which he watched his grandchildren, Breanna and Brady, play baseball and enthusiastically attended every game.

His hard work extended beyond his job, as he completed several projects around the house and kept meticulous care of his lawn. When we were kids he created a brick pathway across the lawn so we wouldn’t “ruin it” as he often put it. Unfortunately for him, the only one to use his brick pathway was the family dog, Rocky. He did this not as a punishment to us, but because he took tremendous pride in his work and took the time to do things the correct way.

My father was known to have a unique, often dry sense of humor. He always had a way of making light of a serious situation which made him easy to talk to and be around. Six years ago, when my husband John approached my father and informed him of our intention to marry his response was, “Well, you’ve met them all. You know what you’re getting yourself into.” My family and I are pretty confident that no other prospective son-in-law received such a welcome into a new family. His sense of humor made people feel comfortable in his presence and even though he often joked about serious circumstances in life, he never judged others or questioned their decisions. He merely accepted people for who they were.

Although my father left this world too soon and far too unexpectedly, I am lucky to have had 34 years with such a great father. I can say with honesty that I do not have one negative memory of my time with him. Even though he never had the chance to meet my unborn son, I know he will be there in spirit watching over us probably making one of his dry comments, and smiling with that smile we all knew so well. He made people smile and feel at ease and for that he will be missed greatly. We love you dad, and we miss you.

Bill Foley

January 24, 2009

Upon the passing of George, I immediately knew I wanted to do the eulogy. It would give me a chance to let people know how I felt about the man who I viewed not only as a father figure, but as one of my best friends. It's something I should have told him before he left us.

First off, on the part of the Chisholm family, I’d like to thank you all for being here today.
The outpouring of support we have received has been overwhelming and is greatly appreciated.

When I first decided that I wanted to eulogize George, I didn’t know where to start. There are so many memories, so many thoughts, that have come pouring back over the last few days, it was hard to pinpoint one as more significant than the others.

Then I came across a song that my 9-year-old daughter Breanna, his first grandchild, had written in the hours immediately after his death.

I’d like to read you a graph from the beginning of the song:

I woke up this morning, everything was fine, Until my parents came in the door
They told me something, something so sad, that the sky turned black
The earth stopped spinning
My eyes burst into tears
My life is never going to be the same

Those heartfelt words from an innocent child perfectly summed up what we’ve all been feeling since George was taken from us so suddenly last Friday.

When I look back over the 23 years that I knew the man we all lovingly called Sonny, I inevitably remember the first time that I met him.

It was back in June of 1985 and I had been dating my lovely wife Kelly for just a few days at the time, and we were hanging out at the Everett House of Pizza.

All of a sudden Kelly turned and said, and I’m paraphrasing: “Uh oh, It’s my father.”
It turned out she had snuck out of the house and now I looked up to see a man who looked like a tree trunk heading toward the door. I thought for sure the end was near, but nothing could have been further from the truth.

You see, this man of muscle upon muscle was, as you all know, nothing more than a big Teddy Bear.

George had two passions in his life: family and golf.

When he wasn’t working, he was busy either running to one of Kelly’s softball or field hockey games, or standing on the sideline at Bryan's football game.

Recently, he could be found at just about all of Breanna’s Little League games or, on the weekends, my son Brady’s T-ball games.

Then, there was golf.
One of the first times I spent the night at the Chisholm house (sleeping on the floor of course) I was awakened by a continuous series of thumps. I looked at the clock and it was 3:15 AM.

I worked my way downstairs to investigate and found George in the middle of the living room practicing his swing. He had left a divot on the rug and the wooden beam on the ceiling was chipped from being hit by the club.

It was on the golf course that Georgie and I first bonded.
I had never played before, so he made it his mission to teach me the intricacies of the game.

Unfortunately, I never really got any good.

But I didn’t care. While venting to my brother the night of George’s death, I told him as far as I was concerned, you could take my clubs and throw them in a dumpster.

I don‘t know how often I‘ll play now, I can take it or leave it.

Because to me, the good thing about hitting the links was I could spend 3 or 4 hours with George. It was never about the game.
I’d always shoot about a 110, but I always had a great time.

Over the years, my brother-in-law Bryan and I were occasionally teased about us putting on some weight or about our thinning hair, and we’d always jokingly respond that our goal was to be like Georgie, with an ample-size belly and bald head.

But right now I can honestly say that I do want to be like Georgie.
I want to be the kind of husband he was.
I want to be the kind of father he was.
I want to be the kind of grandfather he was.
But most of all, I want to be the kind of man he was.
If I can do that, then my short time on this earth will have been a success.

I’d like to close with a message I found on the Boston Globe’s Web site in response to the news of George’s death. It read:

“I worked with George for many years at Jordan Marsh. To me, George was a good, hard working, honest man. If we had more people like George, it would be a much better world.”

That pretty much sums up the life of a wonderful man.

I love you Georgie and miss you so much that it hurts. And don’t worry, your grandkids Breanna, Brady and eventually Antonio, will be regaled with tales of their PAPA, one of the nicest people to walk on God’s green Earth.

Gina (D'Alleva) Fitzgerald

August 25, 2008

Kelly, Bryan, Michelle, Jo (and the entire Chisholm Family)

I just found out about George and am so very sorry for your loss. Words cannot express the sadness that I felt when I learned of his passing ... it just doesn't seem real.

I have some great memories of growing up at your house, that will remain with me forever. We had lots of laughs and some great times. Your Dad truly was a great guy - one of a kind! And even when we aggravated him to pieces, he still smiled and laughed along as he chased us. He was such a great father and I'm sure he was a very special Grandfather too!

I am at a loss of words for Jo ... such a special, loving, dedicated couple. I just can't picture one without the other.

My heart is very heavy for all of you during this difficult time. I hope that the happy memories you have of him will help to heal some of your pain and will put smiles back in your hearts some time soon.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I hope that knowing how much others really care helps take some of your pain and sadness away.

I believe that you never lose the ones you love so he will be in your hearts for always.

I am truly so very sorry for your loss.

With Love,

Gina (D'Alleva) Fitzgerald

Linda Ginnetti-Browne

August 22, 2008

Josephine,

My deepest sympathy to you and your Families.

Sincerely,

Elaien Curreri

August 19, 2008

Christmas Eve at the Patty and Pats will not be the same without George! He is a wonderful husband, father and grandfather..

Lanie

Kathie Enos

August 18, 2008

Josephine,

I am so sorry for your loss. I am here for you.

Love,

Kathie

Peg Slack

August 18, 2008

Josephine,
I'm so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you & your family. Please know your friends are here for you now & in the days to come. May you find comfort and peace of mind in happy memories shared with loved ones.
With love & big hugs,
~Peg
ooxx

Roberta Bailey

August 17, 2008

Josephine my deepest regards to you and your family. You need anything please let me know.

Frederick Brown

August 17, 2008

I worked with George for many years at Jordan Marsh. To me, George was a good , hard working , honest man. If we had more people like George, it would be a much better world. My deepest sympathy to you, Josephine, your children, and grandchildren.

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