The amateur sports community in Moncton is mourning the loss of one of its greatest supporters.
George Georgoudis passed away Sunday but the loss will be felt for a long time.
Georgoudis was co-owner of Vito’s restaurants in Moncton and Saint John. He leaves a legacy of quiet, behind the scenes support for a number of organizations.
Bob Beers knew George for many years. Beers last spoke with George on Friday but didn’t know it would be the last time.
“George was a friend, a true friend and he was also a true friend to the sporting community, and he was also a true friend to the business community,” explains Beers. “The other thing that I would like to say about my good friend George is that he never kept a score card.”
Dan Fougere is with the Moncton Football Association. He knew George through his support of the football community.
He recalls a time when the family’s generosity really stood out to him. It was after the construction of a new building for the Moncton Football Association.
“George and Peter both said that we should have come to them and they would have put a kitchen in for us at the time,” says Fougere. “But we never thought about that, at that time it was just getting the building done, but that is the kind of people they are and they didn’t really want recognition.”
Ralph Chambers of the Moncton Mets says George has helped with the baseball club for 30 years.
“He just enjoyed watching all the other sports,” says Chambers. “Whether it was minor ball or minor football, or minor baseball that he knew what those people went through and how much it meant to them to be playing the sport.”
It’s difficult to put a number of the amount of children who have directly benefitted from George and the family’s sponsorship of amateur sports in the Moncton community, but it’s easily in the 1000’s.
A private celebration of his life will take place Thursday afternoon.
With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
