James Arthur Maneatis
Seotember 23, 1919 - August 8, 2020
James Arthur Maneatis passed away peacefully on August 8, 2020 after a long and amazing life. He is survived by his son Tom Maneatis, daughter-in-law Bev Maneatis, grandchildren Elaine Buffum (Josh) and James Maneatis, and great-grandchildren Hadley, Aubrey, Quincey, Calvin and Ellery Buffum. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Vivian Hangaris and Celia Maneatis as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Arthur and Aspasia Maneatis, his sister Mary Glafkides (Con), and his brothers John Maneatis (Maria) and George Maneatis, and his former wife Mary Maneatis Shurtz.
Jim was born on September 23, 1919 in Lawrence, Massachusetts to loving immigrant parents who had eventually settled in the Boston area after leaving their native Greece. His parents owned and operated a successful restaurant in Lawrence during Jim’s childhood in the 1920’s. During the depression in the 1930’s, Jim had various jobs after school to supplement the family income. He was the first child in the family, and he set the standard for his three younger siblings to follow. He was committed to making their lives successful as they grew up, and he helped them to navigate through life’s many challenges. After graduating from high school, he attended Northeastern University. He graduated in 1942 with a degree in chemical engineering and subsequently joined the Navy. He attended a special Harvard Business School program to prepare him to become an officer in the Naval Supply Corps. He was assigned to the Bay Area as his home base during WWII, and he would go out from there to the Pacific theater. His ship would bring crucial supplies to the active Naval forces, and he had many harrowing stories from his war experiences. He was extremely proud of his Naval service, and he remained in the Naval Reserve after the war ended while pursuing his civilian career as an engineer. He rose to the rank of Captain before retiring from the Naval Reserve in 1973.
While stationed in the Bay Area between trips out to the Pacific during the war, Jim met his former wife, and they married in 1946. His close-knit Greek family was not going to stay in Massachusetts while Jim lived in California, and they all moved out to the Bay Area. In 1948, Jim became a father with the birth of his only child, Tom. Jim was an outstanding dad, and he always maintained a very close and special relationship with his son. Jim had a long and successful engineering career in San Francisco at Chevron and subsequently at Bechtel. He retired in 1987 and entered a new phase in his life. He moved to San Mateo so that he could be closer to his son as well as his sister and brothers. He also wanted to play an active role in the lives of his precious grandchildren. As his grandchildren grew into adulthood, he remained a loving “Papou” and was subsequently blessed to have five great-grandchildren who called him “Papou Jim”. He lived independently, including playing golf and working out at a gym on a regular basis, until he was in his late 90’s. He celebrated his 100th birthday last year with his family.
Jim’s Greek Orthodox faith was a very important part of his life. He also loved the food, music and dancing which were part of his Greek heritage. Jim enjoyed traveling, and his last big trip was among the most memorable. He traveled with his family at that time to Washington, D.C. He visited the WWII Memorial, and a group of teenagers happened to be there on a school field trip. When they saw Jim and realized he was a WWII veteran, they all came up to him, shook his hand and thanked him for his service which made him very proud. He then went up to Lawrence where he visited his hometown for the last time.
Jim was a kind and compassionate man who wanted the best for his family. He was very intelligent, had a strong work ethic and was always responsible and reliable. His engineering background came through in almost everything he did with his meticulous attention to detail. He was highly regarded and respected by those who had the privilege of knowing him, and he was dearly loved by his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.
Due to the pandemic, a private graveside funeral service was conducted for immediate family only at the Greek Orthodox Memorial Park in Colma. A memorial celebration of his life will be held in the future. Donations in his memory may be made to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross, 900 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont, CA 94002.