Gust "Chuck" Peliotes

Gust Chuck Peliotes was a savvy businessman, a Model A aficionado, and a well known man in his community, but first and foremost he was a dedicated family man. He was a good looking man who took great pride in his appearance and could always be counted on to call a spade a spade. Chuck was a true patriot who served his country during a time of need and someone who fully devoted himself to whatever task was at hand. A man whose life spanned times of war and times of peace, times of plenty and times of want, Chuck leaves behind lessons in character, honor, and strength that will live on in the generations who follow him. What a great time it was to be an American in the 1920s. The end of WWI ushered in prosperity with growth and expansion in both the business and industrial sectors while new innovation was taking us places we had never been. The first flight across the Atlantic had been taken while the mail in our country was now being transported via airplane instead of by railcar. It was within this vibrant decade that John and Mary (Fotis) Peliotes welcomed the birth of their son, Gust John, on November 24, 1923. Born in East Moline, Illinois, Gust was one of nine children in his family including brothers Frank, Paul, and Pete and sisters Sue, Niccoletta, Theresa, Molly, and Sophia. Always known as Chuck, he moved to Mississippi for a short time with his family before settling in Muskegon, Michigan, while he was still a boy. Chucks father worked in the restaurant industry while his mother had more than enough to keep her busy at home. Chuck attended schools in Muskegon including Muskegon High School, but he left during the 11th grade in order to help provide for the family instead. He worked in several area restaurants including the Puritan and Demos Restaurant. There, he learned to cook and also got the inside track in how the restaurant business operates. This was a time in which many restaurants in Muskegon were operated by families from the Greek community. The next few years would find Chuck overseas. As countless servicemen were fighting to preserve our freedoms during WWII, Chuck joined the Army and was part of the 141st Infantry. He was involved in combat in Europe and was awarded with several medals in recognition of his service. Although he never talked much about what his experiences were on the battlefield, he did speak about the good times he had during the occupation after the war had ended. When he returned to civilian life, Chuck came home and found work at Continental Motors. During a time when he was laid off from Continental, Chuck was working at Coney Island, a restaurant located in downtown Muskegon. It was while there that he began dating the owners daughter, Ethel Ladas. The two knew each other from church, and she was seven years his junior. They dated for a short time and were married on April 24, 1955. Not long after becoming husband and wife, Chuck and Ethel were blessed with two daughters, Mary and Dina. With a little bit of free time, he did some fishing and deer hunting. In order to support his family, Chuck worked at Brunswick for five years, but his true passion was always the restaurant industry. In 1960 he bought the G Sandwich Shop on Western Avenue. They were famous for their Greek chili dogs, and Chuck could always be found behind the grill cooking them up by the dozens. The restaurant was small and often crowded. Because of this, Chuck was known to let the customers who were done eating know that they needed to get on their way since others were waiting to eat. He often hollered at the waitresses, which later included his wife and daughters to pick up their orders so that things kept moving. During the summers, they closed the restaurant for a week and took family trips to Chicago and other fun-filled destinations. Chuck was a well recognized icon of the downtown Muskegon business scene despite the fact that urban renewal forced the restaurant to move several times. In 1976, they built a new restaurant on Jefferson and First Street that had an upstairs apartment where Chuck and Ethel lived. He sold the restaurant in 1986, but continued to help out there for several more years. Although work comprised much of Chucks life, there were other important parts of his life, too. He and Ethel were members at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, and were also active in the Order of AHEPA, the largest Greek-American association in the world. They regularly attended AHEPA conventions around the country and within the state including memorable trips to New Orleans, Miami Beach, Lansing, and Detroit. Chuck was an aficionado of his 1930 Model A Ford and belonged to the Muskegon Portside Model A Car Owners and Enthusiasts Club. He also owned a 1979 Lincoln Continental, and he spent hours keeping both his cars in tip top shape. Chuck was also proud to show his cars off at classic car events. On occasion, Chuck and Ethel enjoyed visiting the casinos. Whenever he went out on the town, he always made sure that his hair and his clothes were just right as his appearance was highly important to him. When Chuck became a grandfather to Rachel, he couldnt have been happier as she was his pride and joy. He always enjoyed taking her to the TPA picnics. There was so much to love about Gust Chuck Peliotes as he was kind, fun-loving, and truly passionate about the things that interested him. He worked hard, but played hard, too, and enjoyed spending time with his friends and family. Chuck was blessed to share more than 50 years with the love of his life with whom he shared countless treasured moments. He will be dearly missed by the friends and family he leaves behind. Gust Chuck J. Peliotes died on Sunday, September 26, 2010. Chucks family includes his wife, Ethel; daughters, Mary (William) Young, Dina Weller; granddaughter, Rachel Weller; brothers, Paul (Joan) Peliotes, Pete (Barb) Peliotes; sisters, Sue Franks, Niccoletta (Larry) Gess, Theresa (Robert) Stamos Underwood, and Molly Curran; many nieces & nephews. Chuck was preceded in death by his brother, Frank; and sister, Sophia Masterman. Services will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 11:00 a.m. at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church with Rev. Fr. Catalin Mot officiating. Interment at Sunrise Memorial Gardens. Visit with Chucks family and friends on Tuesday, 6-8 with Trisagion at 7:30 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home Muskegon location Muskegon, MI. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you can leave a memory, sign the guestbook, or make a memorial contribution to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.