Vasilios (Basil) John Giannaras
June 16, 1936 - November 25, 2013
Vasilios (Basil) John Giannaras, 77, of New Castle, DE and Brigantine, NJ, passed away at the Atlantic City Medical Center, NJ, on Monday, November 25, 2013, after a sudden illness.
Mr. Giannaras was born on June 16, 1936 in Dorothy, West (By God) Virginia and moved to Whitesville, WV when he was a small child. He was a graduate of Sherman High School, Class of 1954, where he played defensive tackle on the varsity football team. He was a 1958 graduate of West Virginia Institute of Technology in Montgomery, WV where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Upon graduation from college, he moved to Wilmington, DE, where he accepted an engineering position with Allied Chemical. He subsequently was employed by the State of Delaware as Director of Physical Plant Maintenance for the Delaware State Hospital where he held that position until his retirement in 1991. He was a long time member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Egg Harbor Township, NJ and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington, DE where he served on the Parish Council and the Greek Festival Committee for many years.
For all the years that he lived in Delaware, he never forgot his roots deeply embedded in the coalfields of southern West Virginia. He traveled to Greece many times to visit his friends and family. He enjoyed nothing more than making an exceptional batch of ouzo from a hundred-year-old family recipe handed down to him from his father and smoking a fine cigar.
He married Demetra Karapanagiotis of Athens, Greece and Wilmington, DE on April 24, 1960, who survives. He is also survived by his three sons John Giannaras (Paula) of Elkton, MD, Chris Giannaras of Abingdon, MD, and George Giannaras (Nikki) of Bethlehem, PA; one sister, Irene Giannaras Tsambikos of Fallston, MD; seven grandchildren William, Joseph, Katharine, Nicholas, Alexander, Georgia, and Christopher Giannaras, and a host of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Athanasia (Vergis) Giannaras, and one sister, Helen Giannaras Pavlidies.
Visitation will be held from 7 pm until 9 pm on Friday, November 29, 2013 at the Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 1000 N. DuPont Parkway, New Castle, DE. A funeral service will be held at 12 Noon on Saturday, November 30, 2013 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 808 N. Broom St, Wilmington, DE Ž19806, DE. Interment will follow in Silverbrook Cemetery, Lancaster Ave. and DuPont Road, Wilmington, DE.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 7004 Ridge Avenue, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234 or to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 808 N Broom St, Wilmington, DE Ž19806.
Mary Vassos George
My dear Demetra,
My deepest sympathy for the loss of your Basil. I will miss his wonderful sense of humor and our YAH meetings will never be the same without him. May you and your children and grandchildren live to remember him. May his memory be eternal and may he rest in peace.
I regret I will be unable to attend his funeral but my thoughts and prayers will be with all of you. May Our Lord send you courage and comfort to get through this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Mary V. George
George C. Georges
I am very sorry to hear of your loss, and wish to express my condolences. I had the pleasure of meeting Basili at the Holy Trinity Church of Egg Harbor township.
May the Lord bless his soul and his memory be eternal.
Michael Klezaras
Demetra and family. We were so sorry to hear this sad news. Basil was always a gregarios and happy man and you both were a great couple to be around! Nothing I can say will ease your pain, but please know that we are all there to help alleviate some of that pain by sharing your loss. Kouragio. Zoe se mas.
Tim & Diana Butcher
Demetra and Children:
Please accept our apologies for not being there in your time of grief. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and the boys. We thought the world of Basil and think the world of your family. We were saddened by his passing but his spirit will live on through a lot of us, particularly your boys. Basil and Helen were the salt of the earth. Earth was enriched by having both of them here and we have all suffered a great loss with their departure. May God bless and comfort you today.
Tim and Diana Butcher
Diane Lombardo
Dear John and Family,
Thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Diane, Bob, Chris, and Rachael Lombardo
Edward "Mike" Rush, Jr.
We were sorry to hear of the passing of Mr. Giannaras. Please accept the most sincere condolences from the entire Rush family. Thoughts and prayers are with the Giannaras family.
Sincerely,
Edward “Mike” Rush, Jr. and family