Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 04/Oct 08:31

Burn victim remembered as loyal employee, loving aunt

Ria George, 47, who died after an almost two-month fight for life when her gas tank exploded, was remembered as a kind, loving and dedicated woman by loved ones at her funeral on October 3. Saying a few words during the grocery worker's closed-casket funeral at Boysie Boodoo's Funeral Home in Penal, Barrackpore West Councillor Nicholas Kanhai recalled meeting George when he got his first job at MS Superstore and then MS Foodcity Supermarket in Debe. He described her as someone who took a genuine interest in the lives of customers and would leave a lasting impact on coworkers. "All those who had an opportunity to work with Ria, you cannot say that she didn't make you a better employee; her conversations with you didn't make you a better person, she didn't inspire you in one way or the other. Someone like Ria was so committed and dedicated to her job, I think Rakesh is probably her second husband, because the supermarket was probably her first." "Like every one of us, she experienced challenges every day. Some people put up their hands and they walk away, some people hold steadily and deal with whatever comes, and I think Ria was one of those persons. "Through all the trials and tribulations that she encountered along her journey, a very very short 47 years of life, she never gave up one day. She kept pushing ahead. So I didn't expect ever in my lifetime to be standing here having to celebrate her life." But her dedication was not limited only to her work ethic, as her nephew, Ryan Baliram, said she was equally dedicated to her family. Though not having any children of her own, Baliram said she poured all her love into her nieces and nephews. He recalled how she refused to be called aunty "because she was one of us." "That was the kind of person Donny (George) was, approachable, warm and always ready to stand side by side but not above us. Donny was kind, giving and extremely generous. She always found a way to help others, even if it meant putting aside her own needs. She was hardworking and dedicated." George fought for her life at the San Fernando General Hospital for seven weeks after sustaining burns across 32 per cent of her body when her LPG cooking gas tank exploded at home. An autopsy on October 2 found she died from multiple organ failure due to third-degree burn wounds. Following her death, the National Petroleum Market­ing Company Ltd (NP) issued a release offering condolences to her family. It also advised the public to always "soapy water test" newly purchased tanks before using it, focusing specifically on the connections between the regulator and valve, the regulator and the hose and the hose and the stove. The post Burn victim remembered as loyal employee, loving aunt appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.