By Trevina Nicholson
Always seen as the life of the party, Simon P. George was loved by all.
On Saturday, funeral services were held at J. Foster Phillips in St. Albans for the 50-year-old Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee, who died April 21 on the same block where he lived all his life.
According to close friends, George was on 118th Road heading out to run an errand when his motorcycle gave out and crashed into the fence at Roy Wilkins Park.
FDNY officials said they received a call about 4:51 p.m. about a motorcycle crash on the corner of Merrick Boulevard and 118th Road. It was there George was found lying in the grass of Roy Wilkins Park, with metal pieces of his motorcycle scattered across the ground.
Officials said George, the father of five, was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital.
George’s best friend of 40 years, Bryan Lucas, who works for the city Sanitation Department, spoke of the passing of his longtime friend.
Standing in front of his home, he recalled all the fun times they had as young boys.
“He was well-liked by everybody,” he said.
Tameka Cotman, a friend, said she was one of the last people to have spoken to George before the accident.
“He was a nice person, so sweet,” she said. “Every time he would come to see Bryan, he would stop by and talk to me.”
George had been riding bikes for only about a year, according to those who knew him.
Friends from the neighborhood, those who had moved away and MTA representatives all showed their respect to George at the funeral.
“Simon was a dedicated, dependable and well-respected LIRR employee who truly cared about customers, his co-workers and the LIRR. During his more than 25-year career here, he worked his way up from a car appearance maintainer to a supervisor in our customer service department,” said Helena Williams, president of the Long Island Rail Road. “In everything he did, Simon exemplified the best traditions of the LIRR. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family for this tragic loss.”
George leaves behind a wife and five children: three boys and two girls.
“He was a friend amongst friends, brother amongst brothers. All that knew him loved him,” said Ernest S. O’Bryan. “He touched so many lives. The same block he walked up and down on for years is the same block his last trip was on.”
