Savas Charitonidis, 95, passed away peacefully with his family at his side. Born in Kallithea area of Athens, Greece to Vasilios and Efthasia, he was the fourth of five sons. At the age of 16, he left Greece to learn how to become an airline mechanic. He returned to Greece as WWII was escalating riding a bicycle from Germany to Croatia, before arriving back to his homeland by boat. While aboard, Savas was able to learn the German language which later was able to redirect German troops from taking over his neighborhood in Athens.

In November 1953, Savas travelled to Northern Greece, where he was introduced to his wife, and they were married on April 29, 1954. Savas wanted a better life for his new wife and family, so after only ten days of marriage, Savas left Greece for North America. He arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in May of 1954, where he had a wonderful career as an airline mechanic & supervisor for Air Canada.  Savas always said the best aircraft he worked on and flew on was the Boeing 747. In 1974, Savas was able to fulfill his dream by immigrating to the United State of America.

He moved with his wife and two daughters and started his own industrial installation business for ten years then worked for Hess until his retirement in 1993. He was also a founding member of Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Holmdel, NJ, and was honored by the Metropolis of New Jersey in 2010 for his contribution to the Greek Orthodox faith.

Savas was a man full of life and always a smile on his face. He would spend his retirement summers in Nea Vrasna, Greece, where he would reconnect with family and after 30+ years, friends who became family. Always a man who would give the shirt off his back if it benefitted his family or friends. Always there to lend a hand to fix or build something. There was never a family function without him singing his favorite song S’agapo Giati Ise Orea.

Savas is preceded by his parents and brothers Demetrios, Xaralambos and Panagiotis. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 69 years, Anastasia. His two daughters and sons-in-law who were his pride and joy Thalia and Herman Lentz, of Matawan, and Aphrodite and Robert Bucco, Jr., of Lincroft. He was blessed with four grandsons Billy (Brittany), Jimmy (Jenny), Jonathon (Allison), & Stephen/Savas (Kristine). His 10 great-grandchildren Robert, Leila, Joseph, Maddie, Apollo, Logan, Olivia, Anastasia, Cameron, and Darius. He is also survived by his brother, George and many nieces and nephews in the US, Canada, and Greece. The family would also like to extend their gratitude to Inga, his caretaker, for all the love and attention she gave Savas.

Visitation will take place on Sunday, January 14 from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 S. Holmdel Rd., Holmdel NJ 07733. A funeral service will be offered on Monday, January 15, 10:00 AM at Kimisis Tis Theotokou, 20 Hillcrest Rd., Holmdel, NJ 07733. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, Savas’ family asks with gratitude that donations be made to Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church (20 Hillcrest Rd., Holmdel, NJ 07733 or at www.kimisis.com).