Georgine Rose Corrigan was no shrinking violet.
A single mom in the 1970s, she worked a variety of jobs to support herself and her young daughter; short-order cook, bank teller, babysitter, artist. Eventually found her true calling: antiques. Vintage clothes and jewelry, old letters; she found items with a history and kept that history alive.
On September 11, 2001, Georgine Rose Corrigan was returning home to Honolulu after a trip to the East Coast to visit family and purchase new treasures for her clients. Georgine was a passenger aboard United 93, and she never made it home.
Beverly Cheetwood used these words to describe Georgine, her longtime friend:
"You couldn't get through a conversation with Georgine without laughing. She had a great sense of humor. She never met a stranger and always treated people with kindness, dignity, and respect. Georgine was comfortable to have around and to share her friendship with others."
Georgine's daughter, Laura Brough, said that her Mother trusted in God during trying times, saying:
"God is teaching me a lesson now. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure we'll see the light at the end of the tunnel."
The passengers on United 93 had a hard lesson on that bright September morning. I never met Georgine, but I imagine she struck up an acquaintance with all the passengers nearby before takeoff, and they probably felt like old friends by the time the plane was aloft. It would be in keeping with Georgine Rose Corrigan's warmth, humor, and friendliness to imagine that, near the end, as United 93 shook and rolled, Georgine turned to the passenger next to her, and with a twinkle in her eye and a flash of red lipstick, said "there there, it'll be alright."
"God is teaching me a lesson now," Georgine used to say. Georgine has gone to the place where all the lessons are revealed; those of us left behind are still struggling to learn. May we all find the grace to fill the lives of those around us with warmth and humor, as Georgine did.
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