A granddad who took on the role of dad
REGARDED AS a strict but good man, George Theophilus Linton died the day before his 77 th birthday, and for granddaughter Susan Gordon-Pryce, it was hard to take.
Not just because they were looking forward to a birthday celebration, but because of what Linton meant to his granddaughter.
Linton was buried on January 27 in the family plot at Shelly Piece District, near Higgins Land in St Ann, after a thanksgiving service at the Higgins Land New Testament Church, where he was a member.
“His death has put me in a spot of emptiness because I actually stood there and watched him die. Honestly, it has really taken a toll on my life ,” Gordon-Pryce told Family & Religion.
That vision will be forever etched in her mind and has left her with mixed emotions. “I wish I was not there to see when he died, but I’m glad I was there, if you understand what I mean,” she shared.
Gordon-Pryce said that i n the absence of her father, it was her grandfather, along with her grandmother, who raised her.
She recalled that he was a strict but fun-loving person.
“He was a fun-loving person; he was a loving granddad; he was my “parrie” – more than just a grandfather,” she remembered.
“He was the only father that I knew because my dad wasn’t there for me when I was small. He was the one who grew me, along with my grandmother, so he really played a significant part in my life. He actually named me, so you understand what I mean? He was my best friend.”
Gordon-Pr yce said in raising her, Linton taught her a lot, mainly based on his Christian principles.
“He taught me how to be a female, to be industrious, to be loving, to be kind, to forgive, to be clean because cleanliness is a part of godliness. Most of all, he loved the Lord and he taught us principle. He was a strict, strict, stern person. He spoiled me, but he never spared the rod.”
Linton, by the way he lived his life and what he taught her, has l eft Gordon-Pryce in a better place than her real dad could possibly have, and for that, she will always love him, she confessed.
“I pray that he will sleep in peace because I know God has taken him to a better place, but he will always be in my heart,” said Gordon-Pryce.