George Nice, auto mechanic, lover of life

GEORGE R. Nice thought that the song "The Time of My Life," from the movie "Dirty Dancing," was his anthem.

I'll taste every moment and live it out loud

. . . this is the time, the time of my life.

George knew that he was dying of cancer in his last few weeks, but he felt that he had had a great life and he had no fear and no complaints.

"He was very calm," said his younger sister, Marianne. "He had had two great loves. He had a good life, and he thought that song summed it up."

George Nice, an auto mechanic who enjoyed restoring old cars, a passionate fan of the Eagles and ballroom dancing, which he had just taken up a few years ago, died Friday. He was 57 and lived in Somers Point, N.J., but had grown up and lived most of his life in Philadelphia.

George married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen "Kate" Beck, in 1973. She died in 2000, and he married Marie Hoffman in Feburary 2002.

It was Marie who induced him to take up ballroom dancing, and he discovered that he loved it. They specialized in the rumba, but also enjoyed strutting their stuff in the cha-cha, merengue and salsa.

It was partly his new interest in dancing that led him to enjoy the 1987 "Dirty Dancing," as well as the 2004 Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez vehicle, "Shall We Dance?"

George held season tickets to the Eagles for 20 years, and he and his cronies sat in the 600 and 700 levels.

"An Eagles game was an all-day affair," his sister said. "He would leave at 7 a.m. and wouldn't get home until midnight. There was breakfast and getting to the stadium in time for tailgating."

George was born in Logan to George W. Nice and the late Mary Theresa Gribben Nice. He was a 1970 graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School and attended Pennco Tech, where he studied auto mechanics.

He worked for auto-service centers in South Philadelphia, Lawncrest and Bustleton. He was last employed by Galloway Auto, in Absecon, N.J.

Among the classic cars he restored was an Oldsmobile 442, a famous General Motors muscle car.

"He kept telling people he would have it restored to its old glory," said his sister. "The only thing that was fully restored with that car was the engine that could wake up God."

As a kid, George always picked out the black jelly beans. He was happy when the candymakers produced bags of all-black beans.

His eating habits were a source of despair to his second wife. Marie was into health foods, but George liked processed foods just fine.

His favorite drink was 151-proof rum and Coke.

Another unusual pastime for George was shopping. He was a clothes horse, always keeping up with the latest styles in men's clothing, but he also enjoyed shopping for women's clothes for Marie.

Packages would arrive unannounced because he liked to surprise her, his sister said. "She finally had to shut him down because it got out of hand."

George was known in the family as "Jordy."

"Our Irish grandfather gave him that nickname when he was born," Marianne said. "Our Dad is also George, so to distinguish who he was asking for, our Pop-Pop would ask my parents, 'Where is the Jordy boy?' "

George also enjoyed cruising the Caribbean, which he did frequently.

Besides his wife, father and sister, he is survived by a stepdaughter, Tina Rupp Webber; a stepson, John K. Rupp; and his 7-month-old granddaughter, Sylvie Ella Webber, whose photos he kept close by his bedside.

Services: Funeral Mass at 5 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph's Church, 606 Shore Road, Somers Point, N.J. Friends may call at 3:30 p.m. at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Holy Redeemer Hospice, 6550 Delilah Road, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234.