Anita Pelias Georges

The matriarch of the Georges Family, Anita Pelias Georges, passed away peacefully in the New Orleans on January 4th surrounded by her loving family. The youngest of four children she was born to Constantine and Lola Pelias and grew up Uptown on St. Charles Avenue. Her mother was elegant, refined and stylish and her father a personable fun-loving man who founded Imperial Trading Co. in 1916. She was a beautiful combination of both. As a young girl, Anita made it a point to get to know everyone. Her early years as well as her later years were centered around uptown New Orleans where she could still recall the family names and the nicknames and funny stories of those who lived in her neighborhood.

She was spirited and lively from a young age. Her cousin, Chris Carson, noted Texas Architect remembers tagging along with Anita. Carson says “Anita surrounded herself with fun people and wherever she went she was the most fun. Despite her elegant upbringing, Anita was never snobby. She was open and nice to everyone.”

Her best friend of 76 years, Bonnie Rault, recalls “Anita was my lifelong friend. We grew up, played, laughed, and even shared boyfriends together. And we held hands and got each other through the bad times together. I am so blessed to have had this Best Friend Forever.”

Anita attended Louise S. McGehee School where she was class president as well as a little prankster. “She was loved for all her fabulous sense of humor and our days at McGehee were the best” says her longtime friend, Sis Ochsner Mann who also calls Anita her “partner in crime where the teachers were laughing too hard at their pranks to discipline them”.

Anita graduated from Sophie B. Wright and went on to study at Newcomb College where she spent her free time modeling. In 2002, former headmistress, Eileen Powers, gave Anita an honorary diploma from McGehee. She was also given the Outstanding Alumni award from McGehee that year.

Although an “uptown gal”, both of her parents were born in Greece. She did not speak Greek as a child but in 1953, she met and fell in love with her Greek prince charming, Dennis A. Georges, at a church party honoring his military service in the Royal Greek Air Force. It was love at first sight and they were married 6 months later and moved to Greece while her husband completed his military service. There she became fluent in Greek. They returned to New Orleans in 1954 and settled in Metairie where they lived for 50 years until his death in 2002.

Anita had a gift for writing and loved sending personal notes, which was evident in the dozens of love letters she would send to her husband when they were apart as well as the many letters she would later send to her children at college.

Anita made Greece her second home travelling there once or twice a year with her husband and children. She loved playing tennis and was a founding member at the Beach Club. She never missed her kid’s football, basketball or volleyball games. When not telling a joke or two, you might have heard her yelling at the refs when she felt there was a bad call.

Her life centered around the Greek community. She was the life of the party in both Greek and English. Her home was always open to guests on Sundays after church for her lamb dinners and her husband’s famous lectures about ancient Greece. They hosted everyone from lonely guest for holidays to Greek diplomats and dignitaries, and she was often a guest at the Greek Embassy in Washington DC and later in in Paris. Longtime good friend, The Honorable Ambassador Lukas Tsilas and his wife, Pene, remember her as “more glamorous than Linda Evans of Dynasty.”

Anita and her husband travelled all over the world to many important religious sites and were generous philanthropists in New Orleans and Greece. Anita supported and loved her church, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, where Anita attended services every Sunday and was a member of the Ladies of the Philoptochos Society, a volunteer making pastries and as a greeter for the NO Greek Festival. She supported many local and national charities including The New Orleans Museum of Art, The Petite Theater, The Salvation Army, Lindy’s Place, and Bridge House. She was a “hugger” for the Special Olympics and president of the DKE mothers club at Tulane University.

Bringing joy to people was on the top of her list even if there may have been a little prank involved. Her favorite holiday was April Fool’s day.

In her later years Anita returned to Uptown New Orleans, and when not out with friends or dining at her favorite restaurant, Galatoire’s, she enjoyed hosting her weekly Tuesday night dinners with family and friends old and new.

Anita always had a little twinkle in her eye and will always be remembered by her joie de vivre.

She was preceded in death by her loving son Anthony “Nike” Georges, untimely death in 1974, her parents Constantine and Lola Pelias, her sister Regina Anas and her husband Tom, and her two brothers, Gerald, his wife Mickey and Harold, his wife Lydia Pelias.

She is survived by her two sons, Constantine and John Georges (Dathel), her two daughters, Alexa Georges (Jerry Armatis), and Pam Dongieux, her six grandchildren, Zana, Liza and Nike Georges and Gunner, Anita and Dennis Dongieux.

The family would like to give a very special thanks to Sabrina Wilson her longtime, full time caretaker who is like part of their family as well as her part time caretakers, Ethel, Kyshan, Betty, Jasmine, Crystal and Darron, and her lifelong friend and hairdresser, Melvin Callahan.

The family would also like to thank her doctor, Charlie Smith, and the nursing staff on Q8 and the administration at Touro Hospital.

Pallbearers include Jerry Armatis, Nike Georges, Dennis Dongieux, Dean Pelias, Michael Pelias, Peter Casten, Bill Edwards, David Bernard, and Michael Harold,

Visitation will begin at 11:00am on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd., followed by Funeral Services at 12:30pm. Interment will follow in Metairie Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked to send any donations to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in New Orleans