Vasilios Anastasios “Bill” Demanelis, 90, of Morgantown, passed away surrounded by his family on Wednesday, July 11, 2018.
Bill was born in Sopiki, Albania (Northern Epiros, Greece), on October 1, 1927. He was the son of Anastasios “Ernie” Demanelis and Vasiliki Veliou Demanelis.
In 1947, he immigrated to America. He worked with his father and brother, Gus, at the Presto Restaurant on Walnut Street. He and Gus also owned and operated the Olympia Nightclub, Parthenon Restaurant, the Fox Lounge and for 30 years, they owned and operated the Flame Steak House on High Street.
Bill was a lifelong member of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, the Brotherhood of Sopiki, and was a successful businessman.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Areti Maris Demanelis; his son, George Demanelis, of Morgantown; his daughter, Elene Georgopoulos, and her husband, Dimitrios, of Lubbock, Texas; his four grandchildren, Maria Dunn, and husband, David, of Orlando, Fla., Chris Demanelis, of Morgantown, Zoe Horton and her husband, Barrett, of Dallas, and Thanasi Georgopoulos, of Lubbock, Texas; and his great- grandchildren, Kane and Renee Demanelis, Sophia and Lia Dunn, and LulaMae Horton; along with many nieces, nephews, great- nieces and great-nephews.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his sister, Pinelopi and husband, Panayiotis Konomi, from Athens, Greece, and his brother, Konstantinos “Gus” Demanelis, of Morgantown.
Bill was known for his candor, hard work, high standards, love for his family, and for serving the best steak in town. He enjoyed watching old westerns, Greek TV, working in his yard, his wife’s cooking, and a good argument.
Those who knew Bill well will remember many of the phrases he often used such as: “Don’t mess around with the IRS!”, “Kapish?”, “Just so we’re talking bone-head English”, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”, “Come over here, I wanna talk to you”, “Are you crazy?”, “Who do you think you’re talking to?”, “Now we’re talking baby!”, and “Just so we understand each other”.
During his lifetime, he survived the Fascists, the Nazis, the Communists, the IRS, 80 hour work weeks, but he couldn’t beat old age.
Family and friends will be recieved at Hastings Funeral Home, from 4 – 8 p.m. on Friday, July 13, a Trisagion service will be held at 7:30 p.m. to conclude the evening. Visitation will continue at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 447 Spruce Street, from 10 – 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, with the funeral service to follow with Fr. David Shaw officiating. Interment will follow at Lawnwood Cemetery, in Morgantown.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Bill’s memory to the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 447 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV 26505.
Condolences: hastingsfuneralhome.com.
