Nickolaos G. Olympiadis, 79: Built Log Cabin in Milton to Retire

Nickolaos George Olympiadis, born Aug. 4, 1934 in Galati, Romania, fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday, Jan., 23, 2014 at Hospice Atlanta.

The fourth child of Greek parents, Despina Vasilios and Georgeos Olympiadis, he enjoyed school, excelling in mathematics, and also enjoyed soccer, swimming & ping pong. After World War II his family returned to Greece living in Athens and then Syros where he was known to swim from Syros to Tinos and back, often to the amazement of friends. He attended the University of Athens studying Dentistry and was well known for winning many on-campus ping-pong tournaments.

In 1958 he immigrated to the United States to join his oldest brother, Aristo in Alpharetta, Ga. He soon found employment as a gas station attended and then landed a job in a clothing factory, where the owner assisted him in working with Immigration to join the US Army to facilitate his naturalization. He trained at Fort Hood at the same time as Elvis Presley.

After his military service he moved to New York city working for Cartier on 5th Avenue. He soon returned to Atlanta and worked at the Ambassador restaurant and later as a Manager at Zestos on Roswell Road in Buckhead. Over the years he developed his skills in construction and facilities management.

In the '70s he, along with his brother Aristo, opened The Greek Coffee House on Roswell Road between Sandy Springs and Buckhead. In the '80s he opened Fat Boy Junior, a fast-food restaurant in Marietta, GA.

After retiring in the '90s, he decided to build his own log cabin home and settled in Milton, Ga. All his adult life he enjoyed swimming, fishing, hunting, and playing cards with his friends. During his retirement he enjoyed gardening and taking his grandchildren on tractor rides.

He is preceded by his parents, his brother, Polychronis (1933), his brother, Aristotelis (2005), and his wife Rhena Tavaras (1968). He is survived by his sister Ekaterini Olympiadis, his wife Cathryn Cochran of 37 years, his sons, Daniel Olympiadis, Georgeos Nickolaos Olympiadis, his daughter Michelle Olympiadis Constantinides and his grandchildren, Phaethon, Nikolaos, and Ekaterini Irini.

The funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 1014, at the Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, 3431 Trickum Road, Marietta, Ga. 30066. The interment will be at Greenwood Cemetery, 1173 Cascade Circle, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30311.

Ingram Funeral Home & Crematory, Cumming, Ga. is in charge of arrangements.