BOSTON– After an especially courageous battle with cancer, George Panagiotis Demeter passed away peacefully at home on June 1, surrounded by his family.

He was born in Mytilene, Greece, son to Panagiotis and Merope Papadimitriou, but lived most of his adult life in Boston, as beloved husband to Katerina; loving father to Panagiotis Demeter and his wife Sara, Alexandra Psikarakis and her husband Michael, Evangelia Demeter, and stepdaughter Elena Archimandritou and husband Konstantinos; cherished grandfather to Sebastian, George, Yasmine, and Anastasia; faithful brother to Irene Paleologos; adoring uncle to Merope Kapetanakis and her husband Constantine, and their daughters and grandson, Irina, Corina, and Lucio.

A real estate visionary, Demeter purchased his first piece of real estate in Boston’s Back Bay in the early 1960s while working at MIT. While many developers at the time were compromising the integrity of these buildings, George was busy restoring the properties back to their original grandeur. In 1974 he purchased the well-known Beacon Hill real estate brokerage firm of A.F. Doyle and Company. In 1987, he and a group of investors founded Mercantile Bank and Trust Company, where he was Chairman of the Board of Mercantile Capital Corp until it was sold to Commerce Bank of Worcester.

Demeter was an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, involved in the St. Athanasius the Great parish of Arlington, MA, and a philanthropist to countless organizations and causes. He was a former Trustee of Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology and an active council member of Alpha Omega.

He was a lover of the arts and avid supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was Chairman of the Board of Alea III, a contemporary music ensemble at Boston University.

Demeter was a kind and generous soul who always helped friends and family in need. He truly was a remarkable man who was loved by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name can be made to Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church, and Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology of Brookline, MA.