By Shemuel Fanfair
Retired Anglican Bishop Randolph George died peacefully at his Republic Park, East Bank Demerara home on Monday. He was 92. The father of four was a priest for 63 years and served as Bishop of Guyana from 1980 until his retirement in 2008.
He served stints in Trinidad and England and later in the local Anglican Diocese at St Mathews, Supply, Golden Grove and Soesdyke, all on the East Bank of Demerara.
His widow, Sheila George, who he wed 45 years ago, said that her husband was caring, thoughtful and was fully devoted to the work of the church and welfare of parishioners.
“He was a great encourager and as a priest, he was very meticulous about his priestly craft and even when he became a bishop, he always said that he would have preferred to be a parish priest, because it gave him contact with people on a regular basis.”
George’s widow, a teacher by profession, further explained that her spouse particularly liked working at parishes in the interior locations.
She said the family is still coming to grip with his loss. “We all feel a sense of loss: it doesn’t matter how old the person is, it’s part of our lives and it’s as though half of yourself is cut off. We’re all very closely knit… we’ll miss him,” the Bishop’s widow highlighted.
In 1946, George trained for the priesthood at the Codrington Theological College in Barbados. He was also at one time the Chairman of the Integrity Commission but he will mostly be remembered as a man who gave a great deal of his life to the service of the Anglican Church.
