Jeffrey George Jatras went to be with the Lord on 18 November. He was born Sep. 13, 1957 in Riverhead, Long Island, NY, the second son of George and Stella L. (Katsetos) Jatras, currently of Camp Hill. As a military dependent, Jeff attended school in Bitburg, Germany and Athens, Greece, graduated from Clear Lake High School in Houston, TX and attended the University of Houston.
In addition to his parents, Jeff is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years, Laurie (King) Jatras of Sterling, VA, daughter Jillian Marina (Jatras) and Shawn Shupert of Broken Arrow, OK and their sons Aiden and Jackson; step-daughter Michelle and Chad Johnston of Larchmont, NY and their twin children Avery and Cole; brother James and Kathy Pappas Jatras of Alexandria, VA, their daughters Christina, also of Alexandria and Alexandra and Brian Schmalzbach of Falls Church, VA and their children Stella and Peter. Jeff will also be greatly missed by his uncle August Jatras and aunt Bertha Wood, aunt Besse Grimes and cousin JoEllen Hoffman of Harrisburg; aunt Florence Katsetos of Camp Hill, cousin Victoria Wood and Steven Nadell of Tacoma Park, MD and cousin Maria van der Meij and nephew Ruben van der Meij of Lancaster.
Jeff was interested in music and enjoyed playing the flute and the guitar. He was a collector of movie memorabilia and historical documents, including original letters of Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon Bonaparte. He was immensely interested in family history; his baptismal name was Leonidas, after his maternal grandfather Leonidas (Louis) Katsetos, who, as well as his grandmother Marina Katsetos and paternal grandparents August and Coula Jatras, was born in Greece and emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s.
Jeff’s career included positions as MIS Director of a Fortune 500 company and founder and CEO of JDI, a computer distribution company in Houston, TX. He was most recently employed at mortgage brokerage firms in Maryland and Virginia .
Deeply grateful for the sacrifices of our Armed Forces, Jeff and Laurie participated in the Honor Flight program, escorting World War Two veterans whom the program brings to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War Two Memorial. It was one of his most treasured honors to be able to spend the day with these heroes, hearing first hand their experiences and having the unique ability to thank them personally for their service and contributions to the world and all future generations.
Jeff was one of a kind and will be sorely missed by his loved ones, business associates and all of his friends, especially his high school friend, Paul Duffy, who lives in Beaverton, OR.
Funeral services will be held 11:30 AM Friday, November 25 in the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1000 Yverdon Drive in Camp Hill. Officiating will be Fr. Mark Lichtenstein. Burial will be in the East Harrisburg Cemetery. The viewing will be held 10:30 AM Friday until the time of the service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Honor Flight Program at https://mail.svccorp.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=9bb2046b1297429a9f60d3d24302c44a&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.honorflight.org%2fdonate%2fdonation.cfm, the Wounded Warriors Project at https://mail.svccorp.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=9bb2046b1297429a9f60d3d24302c44a&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.WoundedWarriorProject.org or Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Arrangements under the direction of Neill Funeral Home, Camp Hill, PA.
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