John George Manolis

1925 - 2019

A resident of Fair Oaks, John died peacefully on July 19th after battling various medical ailments over the past decade. Through his last day, John showed incredible strength and maintained his hallmark positive spirit. John was born December 18, 1925 to Vasileki (Kalantsopoulos) and George Manolis, immigrants from Tripolis, Arcadia, Greece. John was raised in the tight-knit Greek community of Sacramento with his sister Helen, and brothers Gus and Paul. He spent his childhood playing in McClatchy Park, picking peaches in Yuba City with family in the summers, and assisting his father at the restaurant. John graduated from McClatchy High School, after which he enlisted in WWII. He was one of only two survivors when his B-24 bomber crashed in May of 1944. He was later trained as a surveying engineer and worked for the County of Sacramento and the Spink Corporation. He had tremendous historical knowledge about the growth and layout of the Sacramento region. Both John and his wife Colleen were fascinated with ancestry and researched their heritage in great detail, collecting photos and articles. John knew all the nuances of the Greek families who first came to Sacramento. John and Colleen loved to travel and made over 25 treks to Asia in the 1970s and 80s. Colleen passed away in 2008, following 61 years of marriage. In addition to his wife Colleen, John was predeceased by his children Paul and Despina, his brother Gus, and very recently his sister Helen. John is survived by his younger brother Paul, and his grandchildren Dominick and Gabriel. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. The family will be forever grateful for the companionship and care from John's neighbor and guardian angel Gary Demercurio, as well as John's cheerful caregiver Mere. Funeral services will be held on Friday July 26th at 11am at St. Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church, Elk Grove, CA.