Christian (Chris) Glavas Obituary (1920 - 2015)

Christian (Chris) Glavas, 95, of Murray, Utah passed away peacefully on March 26, 2015. He was born February 23, 1920 in Murray, Utah, the son of Alice Berger and John Glavas. Member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Husband to his sweetheart, Bennie Glavas, for 69 years. Memories of Chris will be carried on by his daughter, Christene (Dennis) Grabel; daughter, Nancy Clark; and son, Richard (MaryAnn) Glavas; 6 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; 7 great-great-grandchildren; and his special sister, Georgia Tripp and her family. When Chris was 7, he and his mother drove to Texas where his father, John, was in the oil business. They lived in very harsh conditions but he had many good memories of his time spent there. His first job was delivering groceries to the mansions on the Avenues in Salt Lake City. He graduated from Murray High School in 1939 as a star basketball player. Chris met Bennie in 1939 and fell in love. Then the Army called; he served in the 556th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion during WWII in Reykjavik, Iceland for 2 years and ended up at Camp Kearns, Utah where he served the rest of his tour until he was honorably discharged in 1944. They were married in October the same year. Bennie was the love of his life; they had many wonderful years together. They traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Chicago and loved going to Arizona twice a year. They loved to be with their family and friends. They enjoyed dancing, keeping their yard in tip-top shape, and of course their greatest passion golfing, which they always made time for. Chris retired from Quality Oil in Murray after 40 years—no matter what time of the day or night, he was there if someone needed help. After his retirement, he worked another 25 years at Brasher's Salt Lake Auto Auction as a driver, retiring again at age 85. Chris was a volunteer fireman for Murray City for 37 years and served as Assistant Chief for several years. He loved being a fireman, and made many life-long friends. He was a 72-year member of the FOE Aerie 1760 in Murray. He participated in the Murray City Oral History Recording Project and was part of the inauguration of the Murray Museum inception in 2013. He was a wealth of information and he had an amazing memory and vast knowledge of Murray History. Dad always had a smile on his face and everyday was a great day! He always had something good to say about everyone. A heartfelt thank you to the following: Dad's nurse, Lisa Barr, for caring for him and our family; Carlos Soto, dear friend—Dad loved you; the special caring people at Millcreek Home Health and Hospice; and the loving, respectful staff at Alta Ridge Assisted Living. In lieu of flowers, we suggest a donation to Millcreek Home Health and Hospice at millcreekhomehealth.com "Here's to you, Dad! You are truly an inspiration to all. You will be greatly missed by your family and friends." Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 7, 2015, at 11 a.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 S. State Street, with a viewing Monday evening from 5-6:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 10-10:45 a.m. Interment: Murray City Cemetery. Funeral Home: Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary-Murray 4760 South State Street Murray, UT