George Chumas, 75, Minot and Larissa, Greece, died November 10, 2006, in a hospital in Greece.

George was born October 23, 1931, to Spiro and Stella (Pappagiannis) Chumas in Kastania, Greece. In 1936, his Aunt Perella and Uncle George Vorgarethsos visited his family and offered to adopt him. His parents, believing he would have greater opportunities in the United States, agreed.

The adoption process was interrupted by World War II, as German soldiers invaded his village and burned his childhood home twice. That house proudly stands today as a testament to his hard work, fierce pride and family loyalty. The disruption of the invasions caused his family to move to Larissa, a larger city known as the bread basket of Greece. His family traveled by an old truck, but he chose to travel the 20 miles by foot in order to bring along his beloved sheep and two donkeys. The incredible journey took a week which was a courageous and tenacious feat for a boy of 10. Upon his arrival in Larissa, he managed a coffee shop during the day and went to business school at night, all at the tender age of fourteen.

Senator Bill Langer, introduced Senate Bill 2277 on July 18, 1949, to cause an immigration visa to be issued to him. In 1951, he finally came to America to work for his adoptive parents in Minot at Liberty Grocery. The Liberty Grocery was opened by his grandfather, George Pappagiannis, the first Greek in business in Minot in 1905. The store was opened in order to supply the railroad and was considered the best store between here and Williston.

After only a year in the United States, George was ready for new responsibilities. He moved to Oakland, CA, in 1952 to manage Bay Bridge Grocery. This was eventually taken over by the city as a part of an interstate freeway project, so in 1955, he returned to Minot. He served in the U.S. Army from 1956-58, where he was stationed in California and later in Germany as a medic. After receiving his honorable discharge, he returned to Minot, where he managed Liberty Grocery and Tick-Tock Tavern of Minot, Queens Bar of Max and the Roundup Bar of New Town.

In 1964, George purchased the Minot Food Store from Ted Pedas. The store flourished under his guidance and by 1968 he was well established in the Minot business community. He returned to Greece that year to marry Effie Pouliana, a nurse who had just graduated from a four year Red Cross program in Athens. They returned to Minot, where they raised their three daughters. He also began to bring his relatives to America. He brought his natural parents, his brother, his sister, his sister-in-law, his mother-in-law and several friends.

George was vehemently enthusiastic about the Magic City, claiming that Greece was his country but Minot was his hometown. He maintained Greek values of hard work, family loyalty and limitless hospitality. His support of Minot youth is legendary. At one time he was the noon refuge for over 1500 Minot Central Campus students. He also valued his many customers a great deal. They were more than cash register receipts, they were friends and each was greeted warmly with a "hello, my friend" . He worked tirelessly seven days a week and holiday gatherings always involved one less family member so that the store was always attended.

He was recognized by Ward County law enforcement for thwarting an attempted robbery of his beloved Minot Food Store in 1978. Nash Finch issued Minot Food Store the 2 billion Achievement Award in 1988. He sold the store and surrounding parcels to Ward County in 2005 for a needed county building.

George also managed to preserve his Greek culture by making sure his daughters traveled to Greece each summer and were bilingual. He lived a life of exemplary Christian values, baptizing 27 children into the Orthodox faith. He especially loved the church in Minot, where his grandparents Pappagiannis were founding members. He annually danced and participated in the St. Mary's, and later St. Peter's Orthodox Church fundraiser.

Proud of his Greek heritage, he was honored to hold the Greek flag and wear his roustanella during Michael Dukakis's campaign stop at the 1988 N.D. State Fair. He was honored to receive in his home, N.D. Governor's Link and Schaefer, Lt. Governor Dr. Sanstead, U.S. Senators Burdick, Young, Andrews, Conrad and Dorgan. He was, in turn, invited to the Bismarck home of "Government" Link, as he called him, in 1975 to receive the Peace Award.

George was a tireless promoter of education as witnessed by his "Friend to Education" award from the Minot Public Schools. His philanthropy knew no bounds. In 1965, he paid for piping that brought spring water to his Kastania village. In 1996, he was honored when the Minot Visitor's Bureau declared June 26th "George Chumas Day" . He also received awards from the North Dakota Recreation Club, Dakota Boys Ranch, NoDak Racing Club, Northwest Bible College, and was well known in the community for sponsoring hundreds of teams that ran the gamut from curling to baseball. He received a Certificate of Appreciation from Pathfinder Services, Inc. The City of Minot appointed him to the Citizen Participation Committee in 1978-79.

George's superlative involvement and long-time support of community athletics earned him recognition from the Minot Recreation Commission. Minot Public Schools awarded him a lifetime pass to all athletic events in 1978. Bishop Ryan High School awarded him a school letter. He was a longtime Minot State University booster and was a fixture at local athletic events, doling out Tootsie Rolls to fans. "The Tootsie Roll King" was given a plaque honoring his 70th birthday. He prided himself on being the #1 fan.

The Minot Daily News recognized his store for selling the most newspapers in North Dakota. Hal Davies, one-time owner of the Minot Daily, often called him "the American Dream" . He was grateful that Minot gave him the opportunity to become the American Dream. He cherished every citizen of this fine city and truly believed they each were 'the best people in town" .

George was an active member of St. Peter's Orthodox Church in Minot. He had also been a member of the Minot Elks Lodge, V.F.W. and American Legion Clubs.

His loving family includes: wife: Effie; daughters: Stella (Russ Tank) Chumas of Henderson, NV; Ethel (George) Goumas, Tracy, CA; Paraskevi "Vivi" Chumas (fiancée Dr. Stelios Betsemeas) of Trikala, Thessalia, Greece; grandsons: George, Alex, Spiridon, and John Chumas, Nicolas, and Spiros Goumas; sisters: Effie Makris, Oakland, CA, Maria Syms, Alameda, CA; brother: Demetrius, Kastania, Greece and numerous cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents Spiros and Stella and adoptive parents, George and Perella Vorgarethsos.

Funeral service : Wednesday, November 22, 2006, at 11:00 a.m. in St. Leo's Catholic Church, Minot;
Interment : Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot; Reception and Fellowship to follow at the Holiday Inn Riverside;
Trisagion service: Tuesday, November 21, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. in St. Peter's Orthodox Church, Minot;
Visitation: Monday from Noon-7:00pm and Tuesday from Noon-4:00pm in the Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.