Employees of Battle’s Bar-B-Q, 218 Welch Ave., said they will miss owner George Battle, who died of cancer on Sunday.

Lynn Sando, junior in psychology and an employee at Battle’s, said Battle cared about his workers.

“He definitely wasn’t a boss figure,” she said. “I mean, everyone understood what he expected of us. But he was more of like, a friend, and he treated us really well.”

Sando enjoyed working for Battle because he genuinely appreciated his employees.

“I was always comfortable to go talk to him whenever I needed,” she said. “He was definitely one of the best bosses that I’ve ever had.”

Sando said it was tough to watch her boss go through chemotherapy.

“It’s pretty hard to watch someone go through all that when you’ve known him for so long,” she said.

Ryan Sherlock, morning manager at Battle’s, said although Battle expected a lot out of his employees, he would sometimes bend the rules.

“Say you were in there at night. He’d bring in a bottle of wine and give everyone a glass,” Sherlock said. “He was cool. He was just a cool old dude.”

Sherlock said Battle worked hard, even after he learned he had cancer.

“He still came in for quite a while, until October or November, before he couldn’t come in anymore,” Sherlock said.

Sherlock said Battle instilled in him the importance of hard work.

“When I first started, he asked me if I could come out and mow his yard,” he said. “So, he has this huge yard and I mowed the whole thing.”

Sherlock said after he mowed the lawn, Battle raked up the grass and it took Sherlock three hours to pick it all up.

“Then when I was done, he gives me a beer and says, ‘Whenever you got a job to do, you got to do it all the way,'” he said. “I don’t know whether he was trying to teach me something or what. I think he was just trying to put me through hell.”

Sherlock said he felt heavy-hearted when he learned of Battle’s death.

“George was a really hard worker,” he said. “But he also liked to just kick back and chill and talk. George was my friend more than my boss, and I’m going to miss him.”