George Rupert Holder

George Rupert Holder was born in Alleyne’s Lane, Passage Road St Michael, Barbados on March 27th, 1941 to the late Sheila Ione Holder and the late Noel Fitzgerald Lashley. He had his primary education at the Wesley Hall Boys School, and his secondary education at St Leonard’s Boy’s school. He was one of seven (7) sisters and nine (9) brothers born to both his mother and/or father. George was a very loving and caring father who adored his children and regretted having to leave them behind in Barbados when he migrated to the US, but he always made sure to maintain regular contact with them and tried to build a loving relationship with both of his Children Wendy and Ricky. He leaves behind four (4) grandchildren, Jenna, Renaldo, Cheryse and Cristiano. One grandchild Ryan, predeceased him. He also leaves behind nine great-grandchildren. They are Shad, Britney, Shay, Ranesha, Kabianna, Niasha, Seziek, Kenaldo and Rainbow.

George migrated to the US in 1970 where he initially resided in Florida before deciding to travel to New York where he lived and remained until his passing.

George was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and was known for his outstanding work. He learnt the trade from his father who as a professional carpenter and joiner himself in Barbados, was of high repute, and had been commissioned by a number of top local furniture stores in Barbados at the time, to make dining room, bedroom, kitchen and patio furniture for sale and distribution. In New York, George followed in his father’s footsteps. He was sought after by many merchants to build store fronts for many commercial establishments in and around New York City.

As a young man in Barbados, George was very much interested and excited about boxing and participated in many amateur fights as a competitive boxer. George belonged to a boxing training camp for young boxers run by popular Barbadian boxer at the time, Bill Flash Gordon. Growing up as a teenager, he would always seek to build his strength, in anticipation of perfecting and improving his boxing prowess. He would drink seawater every day as a cleanser, and drink something called cream of tartar which was known to improve and build strength.

George had a special relationship with his younger sister Marvo, who, after he lost his mother in 1976, properly assumed the role which she had practiced all along throughout their childhood, as his surrogate mother. She was the one he would call if he needed help or support, and she was the one who would readily and voluntarily provide advice and counsel when she thought he needed it. As a frequent visitor to New York City almost on an annual basis over the last 40 years, George could be sure that he would get his annual supply of Bajan delicacies like coconut bread, Conkies and flying fish whenever she would visit, and he would always look forward to it.

He would always make himself available and be on hand to provide support with her shopping bags and suitcases when she travelled in and out of the United States, and when she would go on her regular and almost daily shopping trips in and around Brooklyn. A naturally strong person, George would make light of her heavy loads and carry them around as though they bore no weight at all.

George was a man who loved life, and lived his life to its fullest. He loved fun and enjoyed the company of his closest friends. But he was also a very private person and relished his personal space and time. He was a loving, polite and gentle man, but quite able to defend himself in any situation, and his kindness and gentle nature, could not be interpreted for weakness. He would never be afraid to, like little David, confront and conquer any Goliaths.

George was reunited with and hosted several of his family members in his New York home over the years taking personal care and responsibility over their physical well-being and safety,  including  his sisters Marvo and Pat, his brother Peter, his son Ricky, and his nephews Jerry, Adrian, Patrick, Mark and Nick. He would make sure they had everything they needed and would be sure to pick them up from the airport and drop them off when they were ready to leave.

Before the days of internet calls and Whatsapp, George would always take and make the time to call his family in Barbados to ensure that he remained in contact with them, updated them on what was going on in his life, and get updates on what was happening in Barbados with his various family members. Before Whatsapp, he would call regularly on what was known as Magic Jack, an internet calling application. Thanks to Whatsapp however, he was able to spend more time in conversation with a broader spectrum of his family and to build stronger relationships with them. He would regularly speak to his sister Marvo, to his daughter Wendy, and to his son Ricky. He was also able to develop a special relationship with his granddaughter Jenna, who he would speak to for many hours, almost on a daily basis since they connected on Whatsapp in 2017. Although they only met physically on about three (3) occasions, for very short periods of time, they were able to develop a loving and trusting familiar relationship.

He also remained in regular contact with his nephew Nicholas and he was, in the last two years, able to rekindle a special relationship with his sister Pat.

George was christened in the Anglican church, and was raised up regularly attending Sunday School, mostly in the Anglican church, but he would also attend the Methodist and other denominations for Sunday School from time to time, as a boy, whenever he got invitations. Although George did not join his mother and his sister when they were later baptized in, and joined the Seventh Day Adventist church, he understood and had internalized the precepts of God, the story of salvation and the message of a soon coming king.

He could not avoid hearing stories or experiences from his older brother Mansfield or his younger sister Marvo, of salvation and the transforming power of God. Although he never joined a church himself, we believe that while God had put him in hospital to lay on his back, that he had much time to reflect on his life, and to surrender his life to God. He also benefitted on several occasions from the prayers and testimonies of another sister Pat, a local Pastor in Barbados, who, like his entire family, continued to pray fervently for his recovery from his illness, but the greater prayer was always for God to have His will be done.

George surrendered and slipped away peacefully into an eternal rest after an intense, but valiant and unrelenting battle with a silent and vicious enemy on January 21st, 2024 at approximately 00:31 hrs. He eventually gave up, but he went head to head until the very last round and until the bell was rung. As such we look forward to seeing him again, to be counted among the victors, when the saints of God are gathered from all four corners of the earth, to transport them to the earth made new. May his soul therefore rest in perfect peace, and may he rise again in a blaze of glory.

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