A letter from a childhood friend

I received an email earlier this week from a childhood friend of Jorge's and with his permission, am posting his letter to me.

Love to you all...

Hi Leila,

I am writing you in awe and pain in my heart as I just found out about Jorge's passing in your website. I am his friend from school time back from 1983 til 1986. I believe I have now and then looked for him since Google was invented. Today, a friend from that period posted on Facebook a picture of us from 1984. So I decided to look up his name again and I found so many beautiful messages for him.

The picture of us is attached. It is our 4th grade class at Colegio Rio Branco, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jorge is in the front row (I guess he is easy to spot) and I am in the center, right beside him. I remember practically living in his house in that time. I can say that we were really best friends, together with Edward, who is also next to me in this picture.

I have so many memories from that great time. We had guitar lessons together, played with all his Star Wars toys and everything 10-year-old kids can do. I really can't describe how I feel. I am sad in a way I never thought I'd be.

I hope you can pass my message to his mother. She'll probably remember me. Jorge used to call me 'Galinha' and Shelley used to say it with a funny American accent.

Sorry for the long e-mail and I hope I can collaborate to keep his memory alive.

Cheers,

Helio

Remembering Jorge Three Months Later (with links to other sites)

I received an email today with links to two more sites that have photos of Jorge and some of his early artwork. Those of us that were fortunate enough to know Jorge recognize the smile in the above photo quite well - cherubic with just the right hint of mischief.

http://jorgedeabreu.multiply.com/
http://jorgeolsondeabreu.multiply.com/

When I first posted this blog, I didn't even know Jorge's full name. Now, a google search turned up this lovely gem of a video, which I imagine is a tribute from his friends and family in Brazil. I believe the music in the video is Jorge's, but am not certain.

Jorge Olson de Abreu 1973-2009

Dear friends,

I received the news of Georginio's passing with a heavy heart. As a recent addition to my circle of friends, Georginio held a special place near and dear to me born out of our mutual love for our friend, Corazon. I know that it was his love and adoration for her that helped her grieve through the immeasurable loss of her mother, and for this I am eternally grateful. Just this summer I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Lisbon with him, Corazon and my boyfriend, Christian. It was through Georgie's warm and sincere hospitality that the four of us experienced the magic of Lisbon together over divine meals, traditional neighborhood fado concerts, no doubt the world's finest espresso, stunning coastal road trips and parking follies that made me laugh so hard I cried. As our resident translator, I'll never forget the image of him marching ahead of the group in a Hunter S. Thompson-like stride wearing his black ensemble outfit with socks pulled up knee high, looking for our next adventure.

Georginio's sudden and tragic passing has left a collective void in the lives of his friends and family across the globe. I've created this site as a proposed gathering point for us to share stories and photos of Georginio in celebration of his life.

Here is a link to a flickr page with some photos. Please feel free to contact me if you have images or links to images that you would like to share leilahamidi@gmail.com.

With love,
Leila