George Sousa Viveiros

1939 - 2013

George S. Viveiros, 73, born on July 12, 1939 in Fall River, Mass., passed away July 5, 2013 while on holiday in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. George was the son of Ora E. Boardman and Anthony Viveiros Sr. George is survived by his partner, Jim Haggerty, currently living in Palm Springs, his sister Mary E. Medeiros from Destrehan, Louisiana and by several nieces and a nephew - M.J., Cheryl, Bonnie, Sue, Toni-Lynn, and Glenn. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Anthony. He attended Diman Vocational High School in Fall River. After that he went to Tennessee with his step-father and mother. In 1957, he left Tennessee and hitchhiked all the way across the United States to California, where he boarded a plane to Hawaii. In Hawaii, he lived for a year with his sister, then returned to Los Angeles in 1959. Around this time he met Robert Earl Sheffer, his late partner of 45 years. Together they owned and operated travel agencies in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, where Bob was a travel agent to the stars. George became a property insurance claims manager, working through the ranks of the insurance industry for Deans & Homer. In 1963, they purchased a home in the Deep Well Estates area of Palm Springs, splitting their time between LA, San Diego, and Palm Springs. While in Palm Springs they became involved in many of the local charities, working with Jackie Lee Houston, Elva French-Casey, and Doris Hemmer from Variety Children's Charity of the Desert. George met Jim in 1996, at a Prime Timers mixer being held at Gloria's II in Palm Springs. They became fast friends and kept in touch with each other through the years, until the demise of each of their own previous partners within three months of each other. They reestablished contact around Thanksgiving of 2008, and had been together ever since. Having filed for State Registered Domestic Partnership in early 2009, the couple planned to be wed upon their return to Palm Springs. While traveling with his partner Jim in Toronto, Canada, attending the 75th Anniversary Convention of the Barbershop Harmony Society, George became the victim of a car/pedestrian accident and passed away on July 5, 2013. George died doing exactly what he loved to do, which was traveling, being with friends, and sharing life's experiences with his partner Jim. Per his request, there will be no funeral services. There will be a private luncheon held at La Vallauris when the restaurant reopens next season. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family is requesting that donations be made to any or all of the following charities: Variety Children's Charity of the Desert -http://varietyofthedesert.org/, Palm Springs Stroke Activity Center - http://strokerecoverycenter.org/, Animal Samaritans - http://animalsamaritans.org/, Palm Springs Public Library - http://www.palmspringsca.gov/index.aspx?page=78, Mama's Kitchen - http://www.mamaskitchen.org/, Desert AIDS Project - http://www.desertaidsproject.org, and Harmony Foundation International - https://www.harmonyfoundation.org.

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