George Augustus John Santos died Wednesday, June 1, 2016. He was 92.
Affectionately known as “Kilowatt,” George was the husband of the late Phyllis (Pezzulo) Santos and the son of John Thomas and Louise (Pachico) Santos. He was a lifelong resident of Vineyard Haven, and a member of St. Augustine’s Parish, the Holy Ghost Society, the P.A. Club of Martha’s Vineyard, and the Moose Lodge of Malden. He had been a member of the Tisbury Fire Department’s Legion Pumper.
George enjoyed sharing stories about his life, and often spoke of his early years in Vineyard Haven, when he and the Pine Street gang spent their days running around the town and playing by the harbor. In the winters, he skated with his friends on Lake Tashmoo, and was amazed at the speed of Mr. Vincent and Mr. Packer’s ice boats. Sledding was also a favorite pastime, and he and his friends would slide down the hill at Owen Park onto the frozen harbor to the jetty. In the warmer months, at his family home on Pine Street, he helped his father tend the garden as well as raise pigs, chickens, and rabbits. When the herring run opened at Lake Tashmoo, he caught herring and would go door to door selling the roe in Vineyard Haven. In the 1930s, George was among the first group of caddies at Mink Meadows Golf Club.
After graduating from Tisbury High School in 1942, George was employed at the First National Store and at the Marine Hospital. He joined the Army Air Corps as a medic during World War II, and received an honorable discharge. He was a dedicated member of the American Legion Post No. 257.
After the war, George became a meter reader for the Cape and Vineyard Electric Co. At the time, Reddy Kilowatt was the mascot, and through this association he became known as “Kilowatt.” There, he advanced to the level of distribution planner in the engineering department, and retired after 39 years with then-named Commonwealth Electric.
In 1952, he met Phyllis Pezzulo at a dance at the Hotel Lenox in Boston. They married in 1954, and built their home in Vineyard Haven with the help of friends. Many a New Year’s Eve party was enjoyed with friends in that house.
George was a lifelong avid sports player and fan. As a youngster, he played baseball until the addition of the Tisbury School gym, which afforded the sport of basketball. He was a member of school and town baseball and basketball teams. As an adult in the 1960s and ’70s, he was a member of the league-leading Vineyard 5 Bowling team. And upon retirement, he played golf regularly with the “Noonies” at Mink Meadows, and with his son and grandsons at charity tournaments. He often suggested his playing partners wear two pairs of pants (in case they got a hole in one)! George enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s events, whether games, concerts, or theater.
In retirement, he traveled to Florida in the winters, and enjoyed visiting with many Islanders and golfing with his good friend, Jimmy Maciel. After meeting Charlotte Parker at a dance, she became his companion, and they enjoyed spending time together and traveling. They most recently took a trip to Aruba.
George loved his family, his community, and the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. He readily gave a smile, a joke, and a warm interaction to the people he met along the way.
He is survived by his daughter, Karen Ostrow and her husband, Scott, of Saugus; his son, Dr. George Santos Jr. and his wife, Marion, of Vineyard Haven; and by his grandchildren, Amanda Ostrow, and Grant and Maxwell Santos; in addition to many in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He was predeceased by his brothers, Chester and Manuel, and his sisters, Marjorie Grimmett and Helen Whorton.
A funeral service was held on Wednesday, June 8, at St. Augustine’s Church, and his interment was on Thursday, June 9, at Riverside Cemetery in Saugus.
Donations in George’s memory may be made to the P.A. Club of Martha’s Vineyard or to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.