Beloved husband, father, friend, entrepreneur and veteran George Alden of Merritt Island, Florida, passed away on Jan. 17, 2026, at a Melbourne hospital. He was 78.

George was born on Nov. 2, 1947, in Asbury Park, N.J., to Augustus and Mary E. Alden. He was the first of their four children and was primarily raised in Hialeah, Florida.

George joined the U.S. Army in 1964, graduated from the U.S. Army Southeastern Signal School in 1965, and completed jungle warfare training at Schofield Barracks in Oahu before serving in Vietnam. Upon his return, George completed his Army service at the Seneca Army Depot in upstate New York. He met and married Janet M. Meyers, of Geneva, N.Y. They raised two sons – Robert and John – and lived in Canandaigua, N.Y., during their 25 years together.

George was a trained electrician, which led to his 25-year career as head of operations and building superintendent for Gannett Newspapers and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. George had extensive electrical, technical and management skills, able to fix and build just about anything.

Gregarious George loved meeting, socializing and talking with people and had a huge network of friends. On Nov. 4, 1997, one of his best friends became his wife, Cecilia "Cis" Alden. They renewed their vows with their close family in a beautiful shipboard ceremony on Nov. 4, 2022.

After George and Cis moved to the Cocoa Beach area, George was the general manager of a marina at Port Canaveral. George loved the ocean. Later he and Cis became best known as the owners and operators of Cis' Cozy Corner Cafe on Courtenay Parkway on Merritt Island for 16 years. George was always generous with his time, willing to help anyone in need and often provided mentorship and guidance to people lucky enough to be in his life.

George was a member of many social and service clubs; the Moose Club became his passion. George donated hundreds of hours of his time to the Merritt Island Moose Lodge 2073 including serving as President for multiple terms and overseeing multiple building renovations and improvements. In their retirement George and Cis also enjoyed traveling and took many cruises and trips with their friends and children. George truly cherished his family; he filled all of the walls of his home office with various family photos taken over the years.

George is survived by his loving wife of over 28 years, Cis Alden; son Rob (Pam) Alden; son John (Kara) Alden; stepdaughter Sharon Swan; sisters Theresa Hall and Lynda Luc; brother Gus (Laurie) Alden; granddaughters Hayley (Colten) Salsburg and Camille Sisto; grandsons Nathan (Alaina) Tooley and Sean Swan; great-granddaughters Graycyn, Amelia and Charlotte Tooley and Shyla Swan; nieces and nephews; and so many other important family members and dear friends – many of whom he considered as family too.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Augustus and Mary E. Alden, and by his brothers-in-law John Luc and Wilbur Hall.

A celebration of George's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at the Merritt Island Moose Lodge 2073. A private interment will be held at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the American Heart Association.