Anastasios "Tom" Kallos

Anastasios "Tom" Kallos fell asleep in the Lord on October 13, 2025, at home surrounded by his loving family. He was 95 years old. Tom is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Georgia; his sisters, Maria and Panagiota, as well as brothers Dimitrios and Vasilios. Tom is survived by daughter Constandina K. "Dina" Dalianis, son-in-law Ares G. Dalianis, and two grandchildren, Anastasia and George; as well as his brother Konstantinos, sister Eleni and several nieces and nephews in Greece and Canada. Tom will be remembered by all who knew him as a master chef and restaurateur; for his clever sense of humor, resourcefulness and his prowess as a zembekiko Greek dancer.

Anastasios Kalogeropoulos was born on March 10, 1930, in Loutro, Messenias, Greece. Despite the ever-present threat of famine during the Great Depression and the Nazi occupation of Greece from 1941 to 1944, Tom walked miles each day to attend school. He graduated from high school (gymnasio) in Greece, which was a significant accomplishment given the war and subsequent political upheaval. He then joined the Greek Army and honorably served as a bus driver during the Korean War. Tom eventually followed his sisters to Ottawa, Canada in 1958, where he started working in the restaurant business.

In 1962, Anastasios came to Des Moines, Iowa to visit his aunt, having heard about a beautiful young woman named Georgia Dimitrakopoulou, who had recently arrived from Greece to stay with her uncle and benefactor, Gus G. Manoles. Anastasios married Georgia in 1964, later Americanizing his name to Tom Kallos. They settled in Des Moines with their daughter Dina (and Uncle Gus). Tom then opened his restaurant, "The Best Steak House," in downtown Des Moines. He earned a reputation for serving the best souvlaki in town as well as his exacting standards in the kitchen.

During the almost 50 years that Tom and Georgia lived in Des Moines, they were at the center of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church community. Georgia was a member of the Ladies Philoptochos Society while Tom was in charge of cooking for major church events and Feast Days. For two decades, Tom planned and prepared the food for the annual Greek Food Fair as well as the traditional lamb dinner that the church served free of charge to parishioners after the Easter Resurrection (Anastasi) service.

In 2008, when the house next door to Dina and her family became available, Tom and Georgia moved in. A dedicated and loving papou, Tom saw Anastasia and George every day, often picking them up from school and always cooking delicious meals for them. Tom was blessed to watch his grandchildren grow from infants into young adults, taking immense pride in their accomplishments.

Charitable donations in Tom's memory can be made to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 2350 E Dempster Street, Des Plaines, IL 60016. Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 11:00am at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 2350 E. Dempster St., Des Plaines, IL. Visitation will be at the church from 10:30am until the time of service. Burial will follow at Town of Maine Cemetery, Park Ridge. Arrangements by Demeros Funeral and Cremation Services. For information, please call 847-302-7176 or visit www.demerosfh.com

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