Demetra "Jane" (Eliopulos) Johnson

She was born on September 13, 1924 in Grand Junction to Greek immigrants Hariklia and Louis Eliopulos, who at the time were the proprietors of the Eliopulos Grocery Store on South Second Street. Jane’s childhood years were filled with extended relatives, many of them newly arrived in America, and a “melting pot” of neighborhood friends who would play games like Run, Sheepie, Run in the empty lot next to the family store and home. Although she had many fond memories of her youth, her childhood was marked by the tragic murder of her father in 1930. In 1934, her mother married sheep rancher Nick Patsantaras, and the family moved to his ranch in Collbran. As the oldest daughter, Jane took on many of the responsibilities around the homestead while her brothers were out with the sheep. She milked cows, shot magpies out of the orchard trees, and cared for her siblings. Her favorite chore was canning, and she and her sisters would pretend to be movie stars preparing food for charity while they canned 800 quarts every summer. Jane graduated from Grand Junction High School (Class of ’42) and Mesa College (Class of ’44), where she studied business.

As a young woman, Jane was a voracious reader, which inspired in her a sense of wanderlust, adventure, and independence that accompanied her throughout her years. After college, she explored the American West through her work with the U.S. Geological Survey and on road trips with girlfriends. In 1952, she and her mother boarded the Nea Hellas on a transatlantic crossing to visit her mother’s native Greece.

Jane married artist Thano A. Johnson of Marble, Colorado in 1956. Four years later, Thano took a teaching position in Northern California, and the young family relocated first to Sunnyvale and later to Marin County, where Jane and Thano raised their four children. Jane was active in school and church organizations, serving as a Cub Scout troop mom and working as a yard duty supervisor at Dixie School, where she was fondly known as Peachy by the students. She was a founding member of the Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont and the Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in Marin. She was an excellent cook and enjoyed entertaining, often serving Greek dishes she had learned from her mother.

She was famous for her delicious homemade bread, and she baked ten loaves every Tuesday without fail. The neighborhood kids would flock to the Johnson house just as the bread was coming out of the oven and devour a full loaf in minutes.

In 1974, she realized a lifelong dream and took her children on a camping trip throughout Europe. After buying a VW bus in Austria, the family traveled for five months, making lifelong friendships and spending time with relatives in Greece. Jane’s zest for life also took her on adventures such as hot air ballooning in Napa Valley and glider riding in Sonoma well into her seventies.

She had a knack for getting herself into unusual situations and once appeared on the 1950s television show Queen for a Day after she and her girlfriends lost all their money in Las Vegas and needed gas money to get home. She also appeared in the tabloid paper, The Star, where she posed as a nanny for one of the original Charlie’s Angels. She met rock stars and comedians backstage at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco and attended at least two Grateful Dead concerts while serving as a volunteer usher at the Marin Civic Auditorium. In 1999, she returned to Colorado to retire in her hometown and be closer to her siblings.

She touched many during her long and healthy life. In addition to being a mother to four, Jane was a “second mom” to nieces, nephews, godchildren, cousins, and friends and was known by many names: Mom, Yiayia, Pro-Yiayia, Aunt Jane, Nouna, Thea Dima, Demetra, Dimitroula, Peachy, and Loula. She had a keen sense of humor and noticed and delighted in many of life’s small wonders, which she enjoyed sharing over a home-cooked meal, a game of cards, or a telephone call. She would mail newspaper clippings to her kids and grandkids when she thought an article or comic would be of particular interest. Her smile was contagious, and her laughter was infectious. Her home was always open to all.

She will be remembered for her strong faith, her pride in her Greek heritage, her eternal optimism, and her adventurous spirit, but mostly for her love of family and friends. She was never happier than when she and her siblings were surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren—preferably on a ranch sharing stories and jokes.

She will be dearly missed by her children Demetri (Manu) Iannios, Aris (Nancy) Iannios, Thana (Ken) Fineman, and Kostas (Nancy) Iannios; her grandchildren Katina (Matt), Keala (Paul), Demetri, Emma (Miguel), Alexis (Willie), Katarina, Aris, Mia, Amalia; great-grandchildren Brody, Demetra, Niko, Sophia, and Eleni; and her god-children Dean Pappas, Diane Kavantjas, June Bakios, and Paraskevi Orologas.

She is preceded in death by her beloved siblings and their spouses: sisters Artie (Dean) Parr, Kate (John) Peroulis, and Theodora Eliopulos; brothers Gus (Connie) and John (Goldie) Eliopulos; her ex-husband Thano; and her dear nephews Nicky Eliopulos and Louis Eliopulos. They are together once again.

The family is grateful to BeeHive Homes and HopeWest Hospice for the exceptional care she received in her final years and weeks, respectively. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HopeWest or Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, both in Grand Junction, Colorado, or Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in Novato, California.

Viewing: Sunday, February 20, 5 p.m. -7 p.m., Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, 2515 Patterson Road, Grand Junction

Trisagion Service: Sunday, February 20, 7 p.m., Callahan-Edfast Mortuary

Greek Orthodox Funeral Service: Monday, February 21, 11 a.m., Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 3585 North 12th Street, Grand Junction

Graveside Service: Wednesday, February 23, 10 a.m., Orchard Mesa Cemetery, 2620 Legacy Way, Grand Junction

40-Day Memorial Service: Sunday, April 3, Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church, Novato, California