George Lawrence Kentris

George, "Georgie" Kentris was born on November 3, 1949 in Detroit, Michigan the third child of Mike and Mary Kentris, two quintessential Greek parents who taught him from the start that family meant more than anything else, that having fun while working hard was the name of the game and that good food brought people together. Growing up in Detroit and Parma before landing in Fostoria, Ohio, he came up strong, but soft, figuring out pretty fast that nothing lightened the mood like a witty quip. When little Susie Van Dorn moved to Fostoria in the eighth grade, he used that singular sense of humor to win her heart and it was his everyday thereafter.

George began honing his culinary skills as a grill cook at 12, flipping burgers at his parent's truck stop, The M and M, child labor laws be damned. He continued to work through high school for his parents, all while wooing Susie, playing football, and starting a band with his friends, The Boys Called Lost. After graduating in 1967, he went on to earn his Bachelors at THE Ohio State University. He lived by the mantra "C's get degrees" and spent most of his time playing cards and watching All My Children at the Phi Kappa Tau house. Not quite sure what to do after graduation, he went to DQU (Dairy Queen University) where he perfected the little curly q at the top of a cone and returned to run the DQ in Tiffin, Ohio. Being the serial entrepreneur he was, he parlayed his ice cream skills into owning what might possibly have been THE first food truck--Big George's Coney Island Dairy Palace, often hosting nickel banana split sales.

Things got real when Susie became pregnant with their first baby, so George applied to law school at The University of Toledo. He paid for his first semester selling hot dogs at an REO speedwagon concert. His first baby girl, Emily (Music) was born the summer before that first semester and he and Susie had their second, Vanessa (Smith) while he was studying for the bar exam. Annie (Arthur) was the caboose, completing the family in 1979.

George hummed along as a successful prosecutor in Findlay-one of his favorite stories was about the time someone he'd sent to jail came to him upon release to represent him. He did what was expected of him in his job, but was always a gentleman, he could argue his point without ever raising his voice or becoming cross. George was a doer and a dreamer and a risk-taker, there was never waiting for the ideal time for anything, he just did it. So, when his dad, who was working as a night manager at Taco Bell, came to him with an opportunity to buy the stores in 1982, he jumped at it. Over the next 35 years, he expanded the business, eventually helming a network of restaurants throughout Ohio with over 1500 employees, each one of them he treated like family. Every time he walked into one of his restaurants, he brought donuts and gave hugs. He donated much of his time to the Taco Bell franchise organizations he was a part of, authoring the franchise bylaws. Boondoggles, he called them, short meetings in beautiful places followed by lots of golf and drinks and dinners with his franchise family.

George enjoyed great success in his life, but the accomplishment he was most proud of, by far, was his family. His three daughters could often be heard fighting over who loved him most and who was his favorite. George had them all convinced they were each his favorite. He loved spoiling his six grandchildren: Quinn, Hudson, Lincoln, Matteo, Abbott and Arlo, all of whom loved and adored their PaPou, probably more than their own parents, and that's okay with them. He has three sons-in-law, Sean Music, Shane Smith and Matt Arthur, who were the sons he never had. Georgie loved his animals and was most enamored with his dog, Chubbs, a border collie rescue who made his own peanut butter sandwiches and pulled George, at 60, around the neighborhood on his granddaughter's Razor scooter. His loving siblings, Alexandra Wolph, Nicholas Kentris and William Kentris also survive, as well as countless cousins and nieces and nephews, all of whom will miss him terribly.

George was a phenomenal story teller, often laughing so hard he would cry during a tale. He loved a good joke and had one for any occasion. He made the best old fashioned. He taught his daughters how to mix cocktails, play poker and put on an excellent happy hour. He loved golf. His favorite pastime was taking golf trips with his buddies and starting the day with a grand slam at Denny's because he loved talking about food costs and loved a deal. He loved waking up in the morning and making a strong pot of coffee. He loved going to the casino and would stake anybody $100 If they came with him. But if you ruined his mojo at the black jack table, he would leave and kindly ask that you don't follow him. He loved, loved, loved cars, his favorite being his ice blue Austin Healy that his dad bribed him with to keep him in school and out of the draft. He sold his 1959 Porsche speedster to put a ring on Susie's finger. He loved Saturday Night Live and Austin Powers and My Fair Lady and Singing in the Rain. He loved to play guitar, the only time you would see him with a serious face was when he was tuning it. He loved creating Jib-jabs for his family and would cry laughing at the finished product.

But he didn't love EVERYTHING. He detested dishonesty and laziness. Three things really got under his skin and he made sure to hammer home to his daughters the importance of keeping a clean car, keeping the dog poop picked up and paying bills on time. He thought hate was a strong word, but he did hate quinoa and kale, and forget the Keto diet his girls tried to get him to adopt during his illness. A Starbucks cafe mocha or a Dairy Queen cherry shake, now we're talking. While he rarely complained, he hated being sick. Visits to Durham for treatment with lifelong friends Stuart Shiff and Patrick Markey, and his girls-he saw that as the silver lining, time spent together.

George left this world on June 16, 2020 surrounded by his family and loyal friends, all of whom laughed through tears at all the memories indelibly etched in their hearts and minds. The legacy he leaves is the example he provided in how to live life really, really well. Work hard, play hard. Be kind and generous. Be honest and humble. Laugh everyday. Celebrate everything.

In lieu of flowers, George's family has established a fundraising page through The American Brain Tumor Association: https://give.abta.org/GeorgeKentris, where you can donate or leave tributes. A memorial golf tournament and celebration of life will be held at a later date.