WASHINGTON – Just hours before friends gathered to remember John Malvar, the 18-year-old who died after a skateboarding accident in Arlington last month, they made a shocking discovery.

George Malvar was supposed to hand out rosary beads at his son’s gravesite Saturday, where loved ones would pray before going to a Mass. But he never showed up.

Friends called his phone and knocked on his apartment door but there was no response. A maintenance worker unlocked the door and they found his body inside. Arlington police confirm to WTOP that it appears he died of natural causes.

The Washington Post reports George, 75, was a Filipino immigrant who came to the United States 30 years ago.

His son John was two weeks away from graduating Washington-Lee High School when he attempted to hold onto a car while riding his skateboard. He lost his balance, hit his head and died at George Washington University Hospital.

Saturday’s service continued as planned, exactly 40 days after his death.

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