It is with a heavy heart to announce the passing of George Metsovas on November 25, 2020. George was born December 8, 1931 in a small village named Liantina, a 30-minute drive up the mountain south of Sparta, Greece. His family were poor and lived off their land selling fruits and vegetables – he and his father would travel many miles on a donkey to sell potatoes. It was a hard life. At age 16, George left the village and moved to Athens where he worked in a bakery. After the army, he opened a photography studio downtown Athens. With his passion for photography, he moved to Toronto, Canada and opened a photography studio on Danforth Avenue. Most of his business came from Greek weddings. Those days, the wedding parties and guests would come to the photography studios before heading to the reception - sometimes 200 people from one Greek wedding. Because of the large Greek turnout, Greek businesses started popping up near our father's studio to prosper from all the Greek weddings. Today, Danforth Avenue is called Greek town thanks to George. After love at first sight at a party, he married Popi in 1960 and had three children, Terry, Effie, and Steve. The cold winters were taking their toll on George so in 1973, he moved his family to California.

He was a very generous man and always showered his family with gifts and he made sure they had a comfortable life. He loved his wine! Every year he would stomp on grapes he would purchase from Temecula and make his own red wine. He loved bringing home from Greece his own olive oil from his olive farm. He loved his friends with a passion and never allowed them to take out their wallets when the waiter would bring the bill. He was such a smart man. As a child during WWII, he never went past a 2nd grade education because all the schools closed. He learned to read and write on his own. With a 2nd grade education, he built his own empire with strip malls and even built his home and his vacation homes. He loved sleeping in the sun on the beach and he absolutely loved Hawaii. He was a simple man but always bought top of the line. He was very persistent with everything he would attempt and never gave up once he set his mind to it. George lived his life to the fullest and lived it exactly as he wanted it. He did it his way. He was a hard worker and he achieve everything he set out to accomplish.

He is survived by his wife Popi Metsovas, their three children and their spouses Terry Kolias, John Kolias, Effie Giordano, Marcus Giordano, and Steve Metsovas, Stella Metsovas, and five grandchildren, Katerina Bouras, Michael Bouras, George Bouras, Tony Giordano, and George Giordano. George was loved and respected by his family with all their hearts. George is a legacy to his family, and they will all miss him dearly.

Rest in Peace our Baba and Papou, we love you so much!

Due to COVID-19, services will be private.

Arrangements under the direction of Chapman Funeral Homes - Terry & Mary Harmon, Funeral Directors. Toll free (855) 628-0447.

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Obituary notice for Chapman Funeral Homes. Please visit www.chapmanfuneraldirectors.com .

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