George Demas

Mr. Geroge Anastasios Demas went to be with the Lord on November 13, 2021. He was born 103 years ago on December 25, 1917, in Krokess (Levetsova), Laconia, Greece. He was the fourth of seven children of Anastasios and Olga Demakakos. In 1927, at the age of 11 ½, he traveled by boat from Greece to New York City to be reunited with his Dad and his two older brothers.

He held numerous jobs while he was in school and after high school graduation. In 1940, he joined his brother and sister in Pennsylvania to work in their restaurant, and while there, he enrolled in the Wyoming Valley Airport School to train as a welder. Mr. Demas returned to Brooklyn, NY where he worked full time at his uncle's restaurant and in the evenings at the Brooklyn Naval Yard.

In 1941, he joined the US Army and was assigned to the 82nd Infantry Division in DeKalb County, GA based in the Peachtree DeKalb Airport area (PDK), later re- designated as the 82nd Airborne Division. He trained at several bases in the US, and in 1943 he was transported by the USS Washington, to N. Africa (Casablanca, Algeria, and finally the Tunisian desert at Allied headquarters). During his parachute training, the trainers would tell him that "if the parachute didn't work to just come back and get another one."

In his role as a paratrooper, he took part WWII in our neighborhood who was one of in both daytime and nighttime operations- including the July 9, 1943 invasion of Sicily, paratrooping at night. While he assigned to the 504 Airborne Regiment, he took part in operations in Salerno (at night), Naples, Monte Casino, and Anzio, where he was wounded.

In 1944, at age 28, he trained in England for the D-day invasion of Europe that took place on June 6, 1944 in Normandy, France. Then, on September 17, 1944 he took part in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, a daytime "drop" and the largest airborne operation of all times.

On Nov. 6, 1944, he was wounded in the chest and shot again in the leg while being transported to the hospital. He returned to America on the USS Washington in 1945 and had more surgery at the military hospital, Lawson General Hospital, located at PDK.

For his military service he received several awards, including three Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star for bravery, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Paratroopers’ Badge.

He settled in Atlanta after the war. He has been a member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral since 1945. He served as the church sexton for 12 years. He has been a member of the Order of AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) since 1972.

He worked for several restaurants in Atlanta including The Majestic Diner on Ponce de Leon, Jr's Grill on the Georgia Tech campus and ran his own the Minute Chef, in downtown Atlanta until 1987. He has lived in Sagamore Hills 46 years with his son George Jr.
He is survived by his son, George Demas Jr.; Grandsons’, Gregory and his wife Christine, and Michael; and Great Granddaughter Sophia.