Early in the morning on July 2, 2023, after a long illness, George left this world peacefully to travel on to his next adventure. He was 76 years old.

George was born in Wilpen, PA on April 1, 1947, to George and Helen Havrilak and, from the very beginning, he was full of mischief and lived life to the fullest, on his own terms.

After graduating high school and beginning college courses in LaGrange, IL, he joined the Navy in 1966, primarily stationed out of Newport, RI, and Norfolk, VA. While asea for the "Show the Flag" tour, his Destroyer, the Harold J. Ellison, visited Brazil, crossed the equator and made her way around the southern tip of Africa. While enroute to Pakistan in the Middle East, the tour visited Madagascar, Mauritius, a small island east of Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya and Ethiopia, where he met Emperor Haile Selassie who was a guest aboard the ship. While in the Navy, George also completed a history class at Harvard University.

After his honorable discharge from the Navy in June 1970, following 4 years and one day of service, George lived for a while in Newport, RI, where he worked as a land surveyor for a construction company. After his time in Newport, he traveled across the United States with friends, and eventually ended up in Coehill, Ontario, Canada on what would become known as "The Farm", on 53 acres, "more or less", of land he and a few friends had chipped in to buy.

While in Canada, he worked as a home builder and master craftsman and eventually started his own construction company. After the recession hit Canada in the early 80's, he moved back to the states in 1984, to Texas, where his sister and her family were living.

George continued working in the construction field, primarily doing remodeling and maintenance for apartment and retirement communities in North Texas and worked as a master craftsman building custom cabinetry and built-ins and remodeling turn of the century homes.

In his spare time, George loved to read, play shuffleboard and create using his incredible woodworking skills and was happiest when spending time with family and friends, traveling and finding mischief wherever he was, and telling stories of his amazing, often unbelievable, adventures. So great was his love of travel, he and a friend once went on a road trip from North Texas to Pie Town, New Mexico specifically for pie!

George is preceded in death by his father, George Havrilak; his mother, Helen (Polachek) Havrilak; and his grandson, Colton Spoon.

George is survived by his sister, Nancy Whitt; daughter Serenah Howard, granddaughters Lauren Spoon, Cassidy Spoon and Karlie Spoon; daughter Willow Gagnon and grandson Trevor Gagnon; daughter Sarah Ingram and granddaughter Elizabeth Henderson, grandson RJ Farmer and granddaughter Faith Farmer; nieces Cary Bouska and Cynthia Benham and nephew Robert Whitt, two great-grandchildren, numerous great-nieces and -nephews and innumerable friends.

All of us who knew George, both those along for the ride on some of his adventures and those who heard him recount the details of his adventures, will miss him tremendously and will forever count ourselves lucky to have spent any amount of time with him. As we mourn the immense space left in our lives by his loss, we will find comfort in recalling the stories of his remarkable adventures and remembering the sound of his laughter, his charming wit, his adventurous and mischievous spirit and his fierce love of family and friends.

As requested by George, a memorial service is being planned for family and friends to share their stories, join in laughter and raise a glass to toast to George's memory.