George Edward Cairns II

George Edward Cairns II, 60, of Spring Hill, Florida, set sail for calmer waters on July 5, 2026, surrounded by his family. He spent a year navigating stage 4 melanoma the only way he knew how - with an optimist's grin, a stubborn streak a mile wide, and the firm belief that it was always five o'clock somewhere.

George attended the University of Connecticut and served in the Connecticut Army National Guard. He gave years to his communities as a zoning administrator and a volunteer firefighter and officer in Shoreham, Vermont, and Wakefield, Rhode Island - always the first to run toward trouble, then enjoy a round after.

George built two successful construction companies and took pride in his work. He taught the trade to his kids hands-on, and every one of them could handle basic tools by the age of five. He loved renovating the homes his family lived in, never quite satisfied until each one was paradise.

George lived by changes in latitudes and changes in attitudes, and he chased both. He was devoted to his labrador retrievers, having them in every color over the years, and he never heard a Jimmy Buffett song he didn't sing along to. George never minded a subzero Vermont morning if it meant tending his beef cows – back then he was a landlocked pirate in Carhartts. He spent countless hours coaching - soccer when the kids were young and ice hockey at every level as they grew. He fished Block Island Sound aboard the family boat, fittingly named DOGHOUSE, and loved to stretch out for long days at the beach. From the Florida Keys to cross-country drives to Montana, he loved the ocean and the mountains alike, along with RV trips when the kids were young. George was a man of tradition and he and Mary took great pleasure in creating their own over their years of marriage. He had a love for lobster and strawberry shortcake on his birthday and Father’s Day, and every year he delivered chocolate donuts in bed to Mary on her birthday and Mother's Day. He cherished Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, always stunning everyone with his ability to open the can of jelled cranberry and blow it out in such a way that the ridges in the can were there for the slicing. And without fail, he believed Christmas lights belonged up over Thanksgiving weekend – whether on a fence or on a pine or palm tree - a rule as non-negotiable as a sunset.

George shared nearly 28 years of marriage with his wife, Mary, his first mate through it all. Together they built a life across four states, making a true home in each one and filling it with more experiences and memories than most gather in a lifetime.

He was predeceased by his mother and father, and by several aunts and uncles. He is survived by Mary; their children, George III, Megan, and Ainsley; his older daughters, Alicia Bessette and Melanie Ransom, and their children; his twin sister, Jennifer, and her fiancé, Dave; his younger sister, Jill, and her husband, Todd; and many nieces, nephews, and grandchildren who adored him.

A memorial service to celebrate a life well lived and loved will be held at a later date.

Fair winds, George. The party doesn't end — it just moves to a better beach.