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Friends and family say goodbye to beloved Akron attorney
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 7, 2014
He was nicknamed “The Lone Ranger” because he broke horses as a teenager, but in reality George T. Manos was anything but alone. Known for his strong moral and ethical values, Manos’ life was filled with friends and family, all forced to say their final goodbyes to him after he passed away on Sept. 13.
“He was a wonderful dad,” said June “Shelly” Partis, Manos’ oldest daughter. “He taught us many important values and Greek Orthodox traditions along with practical things like balancing a checkbook.
“I am passing on those values to my nieces and nephews and both of my brothers and my sister are doing the same thing with their children,” said the retired fourth grade teacher at Betty Jane Community Learning Center in Akron.
Born in Akron on March 13, 1927 to Emanuel and Julia Manos, the 87-year-old practiced law in Akron for more than 60 years.
“George and I were law partners for 41 years,” said Christopher Cherpas. “He was an effective lawyer and very good to his clients. We had a very agreeable partnership.
“We went to the same church and we became pretty close. George was high school state handball champion. We both belonged to the Men’s Club Golf League at the church. When I became in-house counsel for Quality Mold, I saw him mostly in the summer,” said Cherpas.
“My wife, Ortha, and I were godparents to his oldest son, Emanuel.”
According to Partis, Greek tradition dictates the children are usually named after their grandparents.
Manos’ parents emigrated to Akron from Asia Minor near the end of World War I and raised their family in Akron. Shortly after graduating from West High School in 1945, Manos was called to serve in the U.S Air Force during World War II. His service lasted less than 18 months and he received numerous honors.
He got his bachelor’s degree from The University of Akron. While attending the University of Cincinnati College of Law he met and later married Helen Mavromatis, who was working on her bachelor’s degree in music education at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
Mavromatis, who was born in Steubenville, attended The Juilliard School in New York City. After securing her master’s in music education from The University of Akron, she taught at various schools in Summit County. She also sang in productions in Akron.
Partis said when her parents were receiving guests in the ballroom after they got married they noticed a painting of two nuns in front of a stain glass window.
“My dad didn’t know if he had passed the bar yet and the picture was $75, which was a lot of money, so they couldn’t afford it,” Partis said. “Years later my parents came across the exact same painting but it wasn’t for sale. Then about 30 years ago, my mom tracked down the artist who lived a mile or two away and bought the picture. She hid it and gave it to dad at Christmas. When he opened it he said ‘they are finally home.’ The picture was at both of their funerals.”
Partis said her parents were married for 60 years. “Every night from the honeymoon on, my parents would always say the Lord’s Prayer together. Even if he was out of town, he would call and they would say the prayer together on the phone.
“My father always taught us that God is with us everywhere and that with God all things are possible.
“After my mom passed away in July whichever one of his children was with him helped him carry on the Lord’s Prayer tradition at night.”
She said the family was and remains close. “I can remember some of our vacations. We would go somewhere and pick up a bushel of soft shell crabs and bring them back to the house we were renting and have crab appetizers all week. The last time was three years ago on Hilton Head Island.”
The general practice attorney began his legal career as assistant law director for the city of Akron, then serving as a partner at Cherpas, Manos and Syracopoulos and later as a partner at Teodosio, Cherpas, Manos and Ward.
“George was an excellent attorney,” said Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Tom Teodosio, who met Manos when he joined Teodosio, Cherpas, Manos and Ward as an associate in 1982. “He was always prepared, paid close attention to details and always made himself available to his clients.
“As a young attorney, George was one of my mentors,” said Judge Teodosio. “I was very lucky to be working in a firm that also included several other high-caliber attorneys, including my father, Al Teodosio, and Chris Cherpas because the advice and learning experiences were invaluable to my career.”
Teodosio joined Manos and Chris Cherpas as a partner in 1990 and remained with the firm until starting his first term on the common pleas court bench in May 2007.
Judge Teodosio said one of the things that not everyone knew about Manos was that he was an excellent handball player who won many competitive tournaments.
“He not only took that competitiveness with him to the courtroom, but also the sense of good sportsmanship which was reflected in the professionalism he conducted himself with throughout his legal career,” said Judge Teodosio.
Manos was very active in the Akron Bar Association, serving as treasurer from 1989 to 1990, vice president from 1990 to 1991 and as president from 1991 to 1992.
“I’ve known George since I was born,” said attorney Larry G. Poulos, past president of the Akron Bar Association. “I grew up in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, where George was always active.
“I became a law clerk at Cherpas, Manos and Syracopoulos in 1972 and after I graduated law school I was employed at the firm,” said Poulos. “George was the best. He and his partners, Chris and Nick, taught me how to be a lawyer. They taught me about ethics and morality, things you don’t learn in the classroom.
“George had the nickname, ‘Mother Manos,’ at the law firm because he would return every phone call he received during the day and accomplish every task before he left the office,” said Poulos. “He was very organized and conscientious. When he was president of the bar association he would cut out articles from various magazines that outlined the qualities of leadership and he made sure I got them. He helped me to get elected to the board of trustees and subsequently I became president.”
Manos also originated and oversaw the completion of the writing and publishing of “Order in the Court: The Courts and the Practice of Law in Akron, Ohio 1787-1945” by Stephen H. Paschen, which was published by the Summit County Historical Society. In 2008, the Akron Bar Association named him Senior Lawyer of the Year.
A lifelong member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron, Manos served as chair of the décor committee for over 30 years.
He was on the church’s board of trustees from 1960 to 1966 and president of the Annunciation Parish from 1966 to 1967. Years later in 1989, Manos was awarded the Saint Paul's Medal by Archbishop Iakovos, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America.The medal is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese's highest award a layman can receive.
“George was born in 1927, the year they started building the church and I think he probably knew every inch of the church,” said Father Jerry Hall, pastor at the church.
“His dedication was extraordinary,” said Father Hall. “He was always involved in the church. He took an active role in the leadership and participated in numerous projects.
"He was co-chairman of a project to redecorate the interior of the church.
New Byzantine Iconography depicting the life of Jesus was installed on the walls of the church.”
Manos was working on the development of a book detailing the iconography of the church when he passed away.
“No matter what he was doing in his life he always brought his ‘A Game’ to it,” said Father Hall. “He was such a loving person, always laughing, smiling and very approachable. He and his wife Helen will be missed by the parish.”
“He was the greatest example of a lawyer and person that I can think of,” said Poulos. “He had four children and he always made time for his family, coaching his kids and making sure they were all well educated and good people.”
In addition to the church, Manos also volunteered his time to philanthropic groups like
AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association), the Annunciation Men's Club, AMHAS (Asia Minor Hellenic American Society) and as a 32nd Mason.
He was chair of the Akron District Heart Association, honorary trustee on the board of the Akron District Heart Association, a member of the board of trustees of the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (now Northeast Ohio Medical University NEOMED) and treasurer of the King School Beautification Site Project from 1972 to 1973.
“My dad was a great lawyer and he volunteered a lot of his time,” said Partis. “My father represented many Greek immigrants for free.”
Manos’ lifelong friend, Samuel Nukes, described Manos as someone who never took a shortcut. “He always wanted to be on solid ground,” said Nukes, a retired defense attorney who specialized in medical malpractice and insurance defenses.
“George and I were friends since we were 7 or 8 years old. We lived close to each other and went to Greek school together. Our lives were always intertwined even though our law practices weren’t.
“George was a little more combative than me though,” said Nukes. “In high school, he played football until he got injured, but he was still always very physical. He had a good build and he kind of looked after me because I was more of a book person.”
Nukes said the two developed a routine in the ‘70s and ‘80s where on Fridays they would meet at a friend’s business and cook Greek food and then have some wine and eat together before going home. “We ended up having two meals on Fridays. One time he knocked on my door with a ton of meatballs that he didn’t want because we had already eaten and he ended up giving them to his little boy.
“He was a great friend,” said Nukes. “He was loyal and honest and ethical to the end. Every morning I get up and say I can’t believe he is gone. It is going to take time to realize what happened.”
Manos was laid to rest on Sept. 19 at Mount Peace Cemetery with military honors by American Legion Post 281. He’s survived by daughters, June M. "Shelly" (Chris) Partis of Akron and Kally M. (Bill) Bradshaw of Gahanna, Ohio; sons, Emanuel T. "Manny" (Michele) Manos of Poway, California and Jack G. (Yvonne) Manos of Fairlawn; and grandchildren, Eleni and William Bradshaw, Connor and Mikayla Manos, and Maia, George, Michael and Nicholas Manos. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister and brother-in-law, Anna and James Kamvouris and infant sister, Fanitsa.