Demetra "Jane" (Eliopulos) Johnson
Obituaries
Daily Sentinal page 5C - February 20, 2022
Demetra
“Jane”
(Eliopulos)
Johnson
September 13, 1924 - February 16, 2022
Demetra “Jane”
Eliopulos Johnson passed
away peacefully on
February 16, 2022, in
Grand Junction, Colorado at the age of 97, surrounded
by her children and grandchildren.
She was born on September 13, 1924, in Grand
Junction to Greek immigrants Hariklia and Louis
Eliopulos, who at the time were the proprietors of the
Eliopulos Grocery Store on South Second Street. Jane’s
childhood years were filled with extended relatives,
many of them newly arrived in America, and a “melting
pot” of neighborhood friends who would play games
like Run, Sheepie, Run in the empty lot next to the
family store and home. Although she had many fond
memories of her youth, her childhood was marked by
the tragic murder of her father in 1930. In 1934, her
mother married sheep rancher Nick Patsantaras, and
the family moved to his ranch in Collbran. As the oldest
daughter, Jane took on many of the responsibilities
around the homestead while her brothers were out with
the sheep. She milked cows, shot magpies out of the
orchard trees, and cared for her siblings. Her favorite
chore was canning, and she and her sisters would
pretend to be movie stars preparing food for charity
while they canned 800 quarts every summer.
Jane graduated from Grand Junction High School
(Class of ‘42) and Mesa College (Class of ‘44), where
she studied business.
As a young woman, Jane was a voracious reader,
which inspired in her a sense of wanderlust, adventure,
and independence that accompanied her throughout her
years. After college, she explored the American West
through her work with the U.S. Geological Survey
and on road trips with girlfriends. In 1952, she and
her mother boarded the Nea Hellas on a transatlantic
crossing to visit her mother’s native Greece.
Jane married artist, Thano A. Johnson of Marble,
Colorado in 1956. Four years later, Thano took a teaching
position in northern California, and the young family
relocated first to Sunnyvale and later to Marin County,
where Jane and Thano raised their four children. Jane
was active in school and church organizations, serving
as a Cub Scout troop mom and working as a yard duty
supervisor at Dixie School, where she was fondly known
as Peachy by the students. She was a founding member
of the Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont and the
Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in Marin.
She was an excellent cook and enjoyed entertaining,
often serving Greek dishes she had learned from her
mother.
She was famous for her delicious homemade bread,
and she baked ten loaves every Tuesday without fail.
The neighborhood kids would flock to the Johnson
house just as the bread was coming out of the oven and
devour a full loaf in minutes.
In 1974, she realized a lifelong dream and took her
children on a camping trip throughout Europe. After
buying a VW bus in Austria, the family traveled for five
months, making lifelong friendships and spending time
with relatives in Greece. Jane’s zest for life also took her
on adventures such as hot air ballooning in Napa Valley
and glider riding in Sonoma well into her seventies.
She had a knack for getting herself into unusual
situations and once appeared on the 1950s television
show Queen for a Day after she and her girlfriends lost
all their money in Las Vegas and needed gas money to
get home. She also appeared in the tabloid paper, The
Star, where she posed as a nanny for one of the original
Charlie’s Angels. She met rock stars and comedians
backstage at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco and
attended at least two Grateful Dead concerts while
serving as a volunteer usher at the Marin Civic
Auditorium. In 1999, she returned to Colorado to retire
in her hometown and be closer to her siblings.
She touched many during her long and healthy life. In
addition to being a mother to four, Jane was a “second
mom” to nieces, nephews, godchildren, cousins, and
friends and was known by many names: Mom, Yiayia,
Pro-Yiayia, Aunt Jane, Nouna, Thea Dima, Demetra,
Dimitroula, Peachy, and Loula. She had a keen sense
of humor and noticed and delighted in many of life’s
small wonders, which she enjoyed sharing over a homecooked meal, a game of cards, or a telephone call.
She would mail newspaper clippings to her kids and
grandkids when she thought an article or comic would
be of particular interest. Her smile was contagious, and
her laughter was infectious. Her home was always open
to all.
She will be remembered for her strong faith, her
pride in her Greek heritage, her eternal optimism,
and her adventurous spirit, but mostly for her love of
family and friends. She was never happier than when
she and her siblings were surrounded by their children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren—preferably on
a ranch sharing stories and jokes.
She will be dearly missed by her children, Demetri
(Manu) Iannios, Aris (Nancy) Iannios, Thana
(Ken) Fineman, and Kostas (Nancy) Iannios; her
grandchildren, Katina (Matt), Keala (Paul), Demetri,
Emma (Miguel), Alexis (Willie), Katarina, Aris, Mia,
Amalia; great-grandchildren, Brody, Demetra, Niko,
Sophia, and Eleni; and her god-children, Dean Pappas,
Diane Kavantjas, June Bakios, and Paraskevi Orologas.
She is preceded in death by her beloved siblings and
their spouses, sisters Artie (Dean) Parr, Kate (John)
Peroulis, and Theodora Eliopulos; brothers, Gus
(Connie) and John (Goldie) Eliopulos; her ex-husband
Thano; and her dear nephews, Nicky Eliopulos and
Louis Eliopulos. They are together once again.
The family is grateful to BeeHive Homes and
HopeWest Hospice for the exceptional care she
received in her final years and weeks, respectively. In
lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HopeWest
or Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, both in
Grand Junction, Colorado, or Nativity of Christ Greek
Orthodox Church in Novato, California.
Viewing is Sunday, February 20, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.,
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, 2515 Patterson Road, Grand
Junction.
Trisagion Service is Sunday, February 20, 7:00 p.m.,
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
Greek Orthodox Funeral Service is Monday, February
21, 11:00 a.m., Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church,
3585 North 12th Street, Grand Junction.
Graveside Service is Thursday, February 24, 10:00
a.m., Orchard Mesa Cemetery, 2620 Legacy Way,
Grand Junction.
40-Day Memorial Service is Sunday, April 3, Nativity
of Christ Greek Orthodox Church, Novato
