George Yannaras' Obituary
George Stavros Yannaras, 80, of Westlake, Ohio passed on January 29, 2026 surrounded by family. He was born on January 11, 1946 in Piraeus, Greece, the son of Stavros and Maria Yannaras.
From an early age, George had a very curious and analytical mind. He found joy in assembling and disassembling things simply to understand how they work. For example, with the guidance of a high school physics textbook, George decided to build a radio transmitter to broadcast songs for telephone callers to the public. He relays almost getting electrocuted in the process! This love for building and fixing things made him quite the handyman at home and the best mentor for his children's science projects.
Growing up in the port of Athens, George was intrigued by naval ships and was fascinated by military airplanes. As a kid, he looked forward to Navy Week and the Hellenic Air Force airshows for the feast day of the Archangels. He had endless gusto for naval and airspace museums and enjoyed building model warships and fighter planes which he proudly displayed in protective cases. George also served in the Hellenic Army as a Non-Commissioned Officer and left with honorable discharge.
George dreamed of pursuing naval engineering school in England. Due to industry constraints, he pivoted and made plans to come to the United States to study finance.
George studied at Cleveland State University and received a bachelor’s degree in Financial Economics. While in college, he met his wife Anastasia and spent evenings as a Greek school teacher at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Rocky River. After graduating, he continued his studies at St. John’s University of New York where he was awarded an MBA in Global Management.
George then returned to Greece and worked for Athenian Brewery company where he was the Director of Treasury. He also worked for IBM in Budgetary and Business Control. While working, George was also faculty for the Department of Finance, University of La Verne, Athens campus and also taught classes at the English Institute in Athens. George then moved back to the United States to get married and start a family, finally settling in Cleveland and working for the Department of Defense as a financial analyst.
George was a born pedagogue and a fountain of knowledge. With an inviting smile on his face, George shined in social settings and could fill any void with conversation. He could intelligently talk about endless topics—history, philosophy, global economics—if there was a listening ear. Sharing his wealth of knowledge, engaging in deep conversation, and inspiring others gave him life.
George also felt immense pride in his Greek heritage. He had a deep love for the Greek language, history, music and cuisine that he also instilled in his children. He could recite and explain the deeper meaning of Ancient Greek phrases, dissect the Greek roots of words, danced the best Zeibekiko and would blare rebetiko music every Saturday morning.
George is survived by his loving wife Anastasia, son Steven (Andrea), daughter Niki (Chrysanthos), grandchildren Chrysanthi, Nikolaos and George, sister-in-law Niki (Philipp), and nieces Eleni, Anastasia, and Anastasia. He is predeceased by his parents and brother Konstantinos.
All services at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 2187 W. 14th St. Cleveland, OH 44113 on Thursday February 5, 2026. Visitation from 10 to 11AM with Funeral Service to follow at 11AM. George will be laid to rest at St. Theodosius Orthodox Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.
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