John Vlastos
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John Vlastos, age 91, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on September 7, 2023, surrounded by his wife and family in The Villages, Florida. He was born on March 7, 1932, in Rhodes, Greece to the late Emmanuel and Irene Vlastos.
He was raised and educated in Alexandria, Egypt during WWII. Near the end of the war, the family immigrated to Australia. In 1953, at the age of 21, John boarded a ship that would eventually bring him to Canada where he would meet and marry his wife, Dorothy. John joined the Canadian Air Force in October 1953 working at MacDonald Air Force Base in Manitoba, Canada. He served for three years and was honorably discharged.
John and his family eventually settled in Grand Forks, ND to raise their children near Dorothy's family in Canada. Always an entrepreneur, John started Johnny's Mobil in Grand Forks in 1966. After several years of working outside during the harsh North Dakota winters, John decided to sell the gas station and buy Forx Rental where he could work indoors occasionally. While living in Grand Forks, John was active in the Lions Club, Jaycees, and Elks. He also volunteered for 14 years with the Grand Forks Police Reserve as a lieutenant on the Force. After several years in the rental business, John found an opportunity to sell pumps of all types and he started Midwest Pump & Supply. He ran that business until his youngest son started college, then he and Dorothy moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL where he opened Southeastern Pump and Supply and worked until he retired in 1995. As hard as John worked, he also liked to play. John spent many hours on the tennis courts, playing golf and jogging many miles completing the Orange Bowl Marathon twice.
A Celebration of Life for John will be scheduled at a later date.
John is survived by his wife of 65 years, Dorothy May (Boback) Vlastos and his three children, Gerald Vlastos, Tampa, FL; Linda Young (Arthur), Greenville, SC; and Robert Vlastos (Marian) Knoxville, TN.; eight grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Nicholas Vlastos, and sister Mary (Vlastos) Diacos. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches at https://www.youthranches.org/.