OAK PARK, IL – Dionisios Konstantos, known as Saki or Dennis, manager at George’s Family Restaurant in Oak Park, passed away on November 10, the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest reported. He was 36 years old.

The youngest son of Ourania and George Konstantos, the owners of the popular diner at 145 S. Oak Park Avenue, “cared deeply about his family’s restaurant and everyone who entered it,” the Journal reported, adding that “his life was cut short by a heart attack… but he will be remembered as a friend who was as quick to give hugs as he was to top off your coffee.”

“He was a wonderful son,” said George Konstantos, the Journal reported. “I love him very much.”

“His dedication to the diner went beyond greeting customers by name and memorizing how they liked their hash browns,” the Journal reported, noting that “beneath his cheeky humor and unpretentious personality was a compassionate soul who worried when elderly regulars didn’t show up at their usual time. He kept their preferred tables open just in case.”

“He worked hard at this restaurant always,” his father told the Journal. “He loved the people.”

“When staff was short, he picked up the slack — waiting tables, working the register and manning the grill himself,” the Journal reported, adding that “during quieter hours, he could often be found listening to the lengthy stories of chatty customers or engaging them in friendly debates.”

“Inside the Oak Park community, there were few faces as welcoming as Saki’s,” Oak Park Eats Editor Melissa Elsmo told the Journal. “No trip to George’s was complete without seeing Saki.”

Dionisios Konstantos is survived by his parents, George and Ourania Konstantos; his brother, John; and his sister, Konstantina. He was the uncle of Fereniki, Ourania and George.

The funeral service was held on November 16 at St. Lazarus Greek Orthodox Chapel in Des Plaines, with interment at Ridgewood Cemetery.