George Thomas Anton, age 85, resident of Grover, NC passed away peacefully September 24, 2014 in his home.  He was born in Greensboro, NC to the late Thomas William Anton and Theano Georgiou Anton.  He was also preceded in death by son, Marcus A. Anton; brother, William Thomas Anton; sister, Zoy Kokenes and former wife Lela Goodwin Anton.  Mr. Anton was a retired restaurateur.  He was the owner/operator of Anton’s Grill and Luigi’s Restaurant  Charlotte, NC and the MouseTrap, Cocoa Beach, FL.  He was part owner of Cellar Anton’s, Greensboro, NC.   He was a long time member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Charlotte, NC since its inception in 1954 and Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, Charlotte, NC since its inception in 1998.  Mr. Anton served in the United States Army during the Korean War.

He had a gift of hospitality that was contagious.  Feeding people was a major source of satisfaction to him.  A small gesture, with lots of love, people felt nurtured through his food and when he fed you, you knew you were loved.

He fed Astronauts, movie stars, Presidents and the homeless person down the street.  It was part of who he was.

The entrepreneurial spirit was always a part of him and down to his final days he continued to visualize opportunities that someone could pursue.

He had a strong spirit of adventure with no fear.  A visionary, he always saw opportunities to open up restaurants in other cities and pursued these opportunities with a passion to succeed.   Growing up with him was always exciting with each move to those cities.  As a child being able to live on the coast was a privilege and education.  We would have never been able to experience those opportunities living in one place.  And since the only thing constant is change, we learned how to adapt and adjust…a valuable lesson later in life.

Always with a smile on his face, he never met a stranger.  He was open to getting to know everyone and had friends everywhere.

He was extremely generous, opening up his home to anyone and would give you his last dime. 

Medically, he beat all the odds.  A walking miracle, he never ceased to amaze us with his recoveries…a testament to his faith.

He never belonged to any fancy affiliations, attended any colleges or won any medals but God doesn’t look at affiliations, He reads hearts.   This man simply touched lives.

  SURVIVORS: Wife: Elaine Pruette Anton, Grover, NC

 Son: George A. Anton, Maiden, NC

Daughter: Sylvia C. Anton, Matthews, NC

Grandchild: Eva Morgan and husband Billy, Harlem, GA

3 Great Grandchildren: Ethan Barnard, Lucas Morgan, and Lydia Morgan.                     

FUNERAL SERVICE:  Ollie Harris Memorial Chapel, Tuesday, September 30, 2014    12:30 P.M. 

VISITATION: 11:00 – 12:30 P.M. Tuesday, September 30, 2014 prior to the service at Harris Funeral Home, Kings Mountain, North Carolina

INTERMENT:  Grover Cemetery, Grover, North Carolina

MEMORIALS: Hospice of Cleveland County, 951 Wendover Heights Drive, Shelby, NC 28150 or Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, 5108 Kuykendall Road, Charlotte, NC 28270

GUEST REGISTER AVAILABLE AT WWW.HARRISFUNERALS.COM

ARRANGEMENTS: HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC