WHAT LIFE BECAME
AFTER WWII
George Spillias / South Pacific 1944-1945
On their return home to Weirton, Maria’s and Angeline’s family and friends did their best to comfort them over the loss of Apollo and Stella, and to help them return to a life of relative normality. Angeline’s brother Ted had fought in the war in the South Pacific and returned home safely. A friend of her brothers, George Spillias, had also returned from fighting in the South Pacific.
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George Spillias / South Pacific 1944-1945
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George Spillias / South Pacific 1944-1945
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George Spillias / South Pacific 1944-1945
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George Spillias / South Pacific 1944-1945
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George Spillias / South Pacific 1944-1945
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In addition to serving in the military, George had done his share of physical labor. Before entering the Army he had worked in the mill and briefly served in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
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When he returned from the war, George started working as a painter. He eventually obtained work with the American Automobile Association (AAA) managing a small Weirton office. This position brought him into unwelcome conflict with Weirton Steel which had its own company automobile association, and didn’t particularly like the competition, especially from the son of one of their employees and a former laborer in his own right.
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When George knew Angeline, prior to the war, she was his friends’ little sister. Now she was a beautiful and world-wise young woman.
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George and Angeline began to date—under the critical and protective eye of Angeline’s father, Tasso.
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George and Angeline began to date—under the critical and protective eye of Angeline’s father, Tasso.
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George and Angeline began to date—under the critical and protective eye of Angeline’s father, Tasso.
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In July 1947 George and Angeline were married.
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Birth of Ken Spillias November 8, 1949
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Angeline entered into a partnership with her sister-in-law, Grace, her brother Nick’s wife, with the purchase of a downtown lunch counter/sundries store.
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Angeline, Ken Spillias shortly after birth, and Maria.
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At the same time Maria was also re-establishing her life in Weirton with her steelworker, church-cantor husband, Tasso. They once again began to experience the pleasures of immediate family, especially now that she was able to enjoy doting on grandchildren. They lived on Orchard Street in Weirton, and Angeline and George lived in a small cottage in their backyard.
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Angeline and George living in a cottage behind Tasso and Maria's house. Ken at a few months old.
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Tasso and Maria with infant Ken Spillias.
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But it was not long after that that George and Angeline decided to move to Florida.
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In 1955, Tasso retired from Weirton Steel after 40 years of service. A few years later Tasso and Maria bought their own home in Pittsburgh and then later lived with Angeline and George to always be closer.
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For much of the time after Tasso's retirement, Maria and Tasso remained close to their children. Here Manuel and Ted enjoy Greek dancing at a family get together.
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Maria and Tasso were always close to family while living at George and Angeline's house, and they enjoyed many holidays, especially Greek ones, with their children and grandchildren.
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Angeline and George enjoy dancing at a family party.
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Family gatherings were conducted with a mixture of Greek and English being spoken and Greek dancing often breaking out in the living room. Through much of this time, Angeline’s and Maria’s experiences during the war remained unknown to the children. Through all of the family gatherings the adults never spoke of them.
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Tasso and Maria would take occasional trips to Greece later in life to see family.
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Angeline would return to Greece only once, and not until the early 1990s. It may have been due to finances, it may have been her husband's disinterest in traveling overseas again, or it may have been the concern of reliving sad and painful memories.
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Maria and Tasso embody the merging of the hard-working European (especially Greek) immigrant and the American spirit. Their lives present an example of the richness and value of the American immigrants’ histories, paths and challenges. For the most part, we in this country have been spared the harsh circumstances these people faced before and during World War II. We should take note of the sacrifices they made and celebrate their survival and what they achieved through love, faith and determination. They provide us an example of what we all should aspire to be in order to build a free world that is better for everyone.
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