John Bill Galanis

John B. Galanis, 87, of Potomac, Maryland, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2020. He was born in Evrytania, Greece in 1933 and immigrated to the United States as a teenager in the immediate aftermath of a civil war that ravaged his hometown after World War II ended. He was the beloved husband of his first wife, the late Evangelia Galanis and his second wife, Maria Varkis Galanis; the loving father of the late William Galanis (wife, Linda), Steven Galanis, and Aretina Papagiannopoulos (husband, Michael); the proud grandfather of Anna, Evangelia, and Christina Galanis and Theodore, John, and George Papagiannopoulos; and the dear brother of Anastasia Floros (late husband, George) the late Nicholas Galanis (wife, Sophia), and the late Alexandra Papaheraklis (late husband, Haralambos).

Shortly after immigrating to the U.S., John served in the U.S. Army as a cook during the Korean War conflict. John worked in the restaurant industry for decades and later became a real estate investor and property manager. Because their Greek heritage and Orthodox religion were such a central part of their lives, he and his first wife Eva were founding members of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bethesda, Maryland and remained active in the church community for many years. Visitation will be held at Hines-Rinaldi funeral home and a funeral service will be held at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, but these events will be private due to restrictions on the number of attendees permitted by public health authorities at this time. His final resting place will be at Parklawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 7701 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20817.

Update: The private funeral of John Galanis is scheduled for September 18 at 10AM. While the funeral is private, it can be viewed online starting at 9:50AM using the following link: https://youtu.be/ad_nqNXaaEY.