George A. Bavelis

George was born on January 26, 1937, in Thessaloniki, Greece. A natural-born entrepreneur at a young age, he would push a cart around his village selling watermelons door to door. He was gifted, driven, and destined to accomplish great things. After earning a scholarship, George left his family in Greece to pursue his dream of becoming a mechanical engineer. In 1959, he graduated from the University of Arkansas.

In Hot Springs, he met the love of his life, Georgia "Gia" Drakoulias Pappas, and quickly won her heart. They married in 1965 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Together, they built a rich and loving life grounded in faith and family.

Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Columbus, where he worked as an engineer at Western Electric. Through tireless dedication, he followed his entrepreneurial calling into real estate development. He became a pioneering force in student housing near The Ohio State University through the founding of Pella Company and Central State Realty. Over the years, George expanded his footprint into Florida with ventures in real estate, banking, and property management.

George attained one of his childhood dreams by becoming a banker. He helped establish Heartland Bancorp and served on the boards of several banks, including Buckeye State Bank, Locality Bank, and Sterling Bancorp. He was widely admired for his intellect, vision, work ethic, and integrity.

George's dedication to life continued through his philanthropic endeavors with Leadership 100, an endowed academic chair at The Ohio State University, his perpetual scholarship program to Ionian Village summer camp, and numerous personal contributions to end hunger and homelessness in central Ohio.

George will be remembered as an honorable man, student (of literally everything but golf), and for his devotion to Hellenism. He loved to travel the world with his beloved Gia of 60 years and cherished Big Greek family vacations with his children and grandchildren—often needing to charter full-size buses to accommodate all 18 of them! He found joy in life's simple pleasures: tomatoes fresh from his garden, walks along the beach in Boca Raton, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Above all, George's greatest legacy is his family. He is survived by his loving wife Gia, and their devoted daughters Tina (Tasos) Manokas, Niki (Dan) Callanan, and Stella (Matt) Studer. He was a proud grandfather to Sarah, Andrew, Sophia, Madeline, Danny, Kristina, Alexia (Jack), George, Taso, and Gia-Noel. He is also survived by his two sisters, nieces, nephews, and many extended family members whose lives he touched deeply. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and two sisters.

Calling hours will be held on Saturday, July 26, at 9:30 AM at The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, with the funeral service to follow at 10:30 AM. A celebration of life will take place at the Bavelis family home at 12:30 PM. All are welcome to attend to honor and celebrate the life of this remarkable man.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in George's memory to The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio, and Saint Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida.

As George would say, "time is up".

May his memory be eternal. The Great GAB.