All services are private
A Memorial Service will be
held at a later date at
Shenandoah Valley
Westminster Canterbury
Memorial contributions may be made to:
Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek
Orthodox Church
1700 Amherst Street
Winchester, VA 22601
Shenandoah Valley Westminster
Canterbury Foundation
300 Westminster Canterbury Drive
Winchester, VA 22603
John George Pietris, 80, of Winchester, VA passed away Wednesday, December 30, 2020, at home due to congestive heart failure. Mr. Pietris was born in 1940 in a small village near Corinth, Greece, the fourth of eight children. In his early teens he worked summers in a brick factory. At age 15 he began fiveContinue Reading
John George Pietris, 80, of Winchester, VA passed away Wednesday, December 30, 2020, at home due to congestive heart failure.
Mr. Pietris was born in 1940 in a small village near Corinth, Greece, the fourth of eight children. In his early teens he worked summers in a brick factory. At age 15 he began five years with the railroads in the Peloponnese, starting with track work and becoming a conductor, while attending night classes at a culinary school. After two years in the Greek army, John worked on the family farm, quickly realizing that he wanted a better life. He joined the Greek merchant marine at the age of 24, serving on a tanker and two cargo ships, achieving the rank of 3rd engineer. His travels took him all over the world.
One trip in 1967 included 45 days docked in Saigon while the ship was being unloaded. Since this was during the Vietnam War, John watched helicopters being shot down around the ship. He vowed never to return to Vietnam. On a voyage in 1969 when it was announced that the ship would again go to Saigon, John left the ship in New York in an unauthorized manner. Within two days he was hired as a dishwasher at Ciro’s Restaurant near Yorktown Heights, NY, but was promoted, after ½ day, to cook, then chef.
Fleeing immigration authorities in 1972 John made his way to cousins in Evanston, Illinois, becoming the chef at their restaurant, The Corinthian Columns, where he met his future wife, Mary Kay Dewees. They married in 1974.
In 1977 John and Mary moved to Arlington, VA where he began work as a chef in the newly opened Crystal Underground at the Crystal City metro stop. After moving to Falls Church in 1979 John continued at “Gianni’s” until his retirement in 2000. He became an American citizen in 1995. They enjoyed vacationing in Greece and cruising.
In 2016 John and Mary moved to Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury to escape the crowds of the DC area and to continue a peaceful retirement. There he enjoyed gardening, painting, and picture puzzles.
Surviving is his wife, Mary Kay, a brother in Wisconsin, six brothers and sisters in Greece, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, most of whom live in Greece.
All services are private. A memorial service will be held at a later date at Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury.
Memorial contributions may be made in John’s memory to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, 1700 Amherst Street, Winchester, VA 22601 or Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury Foundation, 300 Westminster Canterbury Drive, Winchester, VA 22603.
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