Obituary: Emil George Hnat

Emil George Hnat

Friday, July 9, 2004

“Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.”

And what is life? Life brings tears; it brings smiles, and memories: the tears dry and the smiles fade, but the memories, the memories live on forever.

We will remember Emil Hnat for his tender care in touching our lives, and we will take comfort from our memories of his kindness, his guidance, and his love for life in this tropical garden of his paradise.

Emil George Hnat came into this world on March 11, 1915 in Cleveland Ohio. Just months after his birth, the first transatlantic radio telephone message was made between Virginia and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

This would have pleased Emil, as while a great deal of his life was geared towards producing the written word in the printing and press equipment industry.

He loved communications and with Buddy Wood as his partner, was the first person to actually produce Satellite TV dishes in Cayman, which they made out of fiberglass.

These first dishes were used initially for condominium projects and commercial business, bringing live TV to Cayman.

Emil also loved sports and attended UCLA on a swimming scholarship. He was a keen golfer, born to the game, and was a golf instructor at the Dunwoody Country Club in Georgia.

He was instrumental in introducing his nephew, Kevin Smeltz to the game, and now Kevin is the Pro at the David Leadbetter Golf World Headquarters in Orlando.

Jordan Totten, who loved Emil like a grandfather, received his first golf club from Emil at age three, and is now a student of Kevin’s - so the tradition continues.

As all young men did during World War II, Emil enlisted and served his country with honour while stationed in Europe.

After the war, he went to work for the Harris Printing Company, and travelled with them worldwide for thirty years. He then moved to Atlanta and started his own printing and press equipment company.

It was in Atlanta that he met his southern belle, Joy, and they were married in 1974 and took their honeymoon in Cayman.

They loved Cayman and came every year. After Emil retired, he and Joy decided to move to Cayman, and in 1978 they came to Cayman Kai and built a special home on Water Cay Road which they named “On Golden Pond.”

The setting on the canal, with the trees and lush landscaping, was his sanctuary.

Emil loved the vegetable garden and flowers and raising orchids. They were his other joy. He was very adept at grafting trees and flowering plants.

He particularly loved this time of year, when the bougainvilleas were still in winter’s blush of color, the Poinciana and Gold trees were in full bloom and the mangoes and ginnaps were nearing fit.

After coming out of retirement twice for the Satellite Dish business, and then customising tennis courts, Emil was finally happy to stay at home and tend his garden, while Joy pursued a real estate career.

Selling real estate, and helping people become adjusted to living in Cayman, came naturally to Joy, and she became the real estate belle of Cayman Kai “where the good life is.”

Emil was very close to Joy’s daughter Vicki Norris, and always treated her as his own after he and Joy became one. When Vicky had her own daughter, Brittany, Emil became the proud “Daddy Emil.”

I am sure that Vicky and Brittany will miss his guidance and love. He also had a special place in his heart for Great Nephews, Zachary, Gabriel and husband Skeeta. A trip to the Moore's home in Atlanta was always a favourite trip for Joy and Emil.

Emil was active in his community, and attended the Mason Lodge in Cayman with his Mason brother Bill Huddleston.

Emil was the recipient of the Georgia Master Mason 50 year’s award from his Roswell Georgia Lodge. He and Joy attended the North Side United Church with Chi Chi and myself.

I would like to read you a little poem, although I don’t know the author, but it helps us deal with what we feel today.

Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what’s to be,
A resting place along the road,
To sweet eternity.

We all have different journeys,
Different paths along way,
We are all meant to learn some things,
But never meant to stay…

Our destination is a place,
For greater than we know,
For some the journey’s quicker,
For some the journey’s slow.

But when the journey finally ends,
We’ll claim a great reward,
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the Lord.

In closing, I know I speak for all of us left to mourn. Sarah Joy, his loving wife, Joseph Hnat, his brother, and Irene Pawuk, his sister. Do not let Emil’s passing bring you sorrow, but celebrate his life and what he gave to you, and all of us lucky enough to have known him.

Whether he admitted it or not, Emil knew that he was challenged at extending the length of his life, but it is obvious that he clearly knew how to extend the breadth and depth of his life, the very dimensions so many of us neglect.

Emil truly has shown us that our lives are empty without the love of family and friends and nature. He demonstrated that we must live each moment to the fullest.

Never lose our sense of humour, and always put problems in perspective- recognising the significant ones and the ones that pale in comparison.

His examples should remind us that it is simply isn’t worth it to waste time or energy on trivial conflicts. Joy will be the first one to tell you how his guidance has helped her with this in her career.

So before we leave here today, we want to thank you Emil for showing us how to truly celebrate life. We celebrate your journey to Heaven, and know it will be free of all those obstacles you have helped us “step over” here on earth.

We will never stop loving you and missing you.

Reader comments:

• I really appreciated this. I met Mr. Hnat and thought highly of him. Joy was a graduating high school classmate of mine and I loved them both dearly. Thank you so much for this article - Susie R. Gray

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