The loss of a friend

Fast forward to present time where I have spent many a day at my grandparents assisted living, oftentimes, having lunch with them and getting to know the other residents and their family members that frequent the place as much as I do .
About six months ago, the lunch table was graced with the smiling face of a new resident, George. We made friends immediately. He was always quick to give a smile and a kiss hello and had a way about him that always made one feel at ease. He was quick with a joke or a poke to make you laugh and was quite the camera man. He seemed to always be taking pictures and sharing his treasures with those around him and was generous in every other way. He certainly seemed to face some challenges, but that never slowed him down. When I was visiting recently, I ran into him in the lobby to find that my sweet guy was sporting a couple of shiners and a big bruise on his nose to match. Apparently, he had a rather nasty spill out of the bed, but that didn't phase him in the least because the night before that, he had gotten to go to a Mav's game and had a blast. He commented that the bruises didn't matter a bit because the rest of life was so good. He was excited that he had just recently mastered transferring from his power chair to the car and was equally excited that his son had brought the new puppy to visit the day before. He just always had a great outlook and good things to say. He loved his orange juice and was never afraid to ask for what he wanted. He knew all the employees by name and showed respect to each and every one of them. He was my buddy. I always looked forward to visiting him whenever I was there. I was very sad to learn tonight that my sweet friend has passed away.
He brought a ray of sunshine to the assisted living and he will be sorely missed. I am honored to say that, for a brief time, he was my friend. Goodbye sweet George.