Peter Charos Of East Quogue Dies October 2

Longtime East Quogue resident Peter Charos died on October 2, 2018, at Southampton Hospital. He was 95.

Born April 19, 1923, in Brooklyn to Louis and Anna (Jounakos) Charos who immigrated from Sparta, Greece, in the early 1900s, Mr. Charos was a hard worker from a young age. As a young boy he worked before and after school at his family’s ice cream parlor on the Lower East Side of New York City. His family was proud of their Greek heritage and saw the importance in attending Greek School after the regular public school day. Living through the Great Depression helped to shape his strong lifelong work ethic. He was a role model for his children and grandchildren, dedicating his whole life to providing for his family, survivors said.

In 1953, he and his brother, Thomas, moved their families to Hampton Bays where they opened a diner at the junction of Route 24 and Route 27, called the Hampton Grill. In 1964, they then expanded their business by opening a second diner in Southampton at the junction of Route 27A and County Road 39, called the Holiday Grille. For more than 30 years, both diners served as a warm meeting place for locals and celebrities alike, including Marilyn Monroe, the Rascals and Paul Newman. The businesses employed countless locals, many of whom were later inspired to enter the restaurant business. In the 1970s, Mr. Charos and his brother, Thomas, orchestrated a large residential development, Bay Estates, in East Quogue naming many of the roads after past presidents.

His few passions in retirement still involved hard work. He enjoyed whipping up recipes for his family using simple ingredients to create extraordinary meals. He was an avid landscaper and created a masterpiece garden in his backyard. His family members loved working with him on that endless project, despite the possibility of moving the same bushes just two feet, sometimes five times—he was a true perfectionist. His other love, for many years, was working out at the local gym, where into his late 80s he was still lifting free weights. He was as strong physically as he was mentally and emotionally.

Mr. Charos was often a man of few words, but had dozens of facial expressions that made people aware of exactly what was on his mind—good or bad. When expressing himself, he did it well.

He was the king of one-liners. While mopping the kitchen floor in the diner he said: “If you are going to do a job, do it right the first time.” Others were: “You learn more from listening than talking,” “The more you talk about money the less you have,” and “It’s never goodbye, it’s just see you later.”

He was an avid songwriter, inventor of three U.S. patents, and an entrepreneur.

He didn’t do “boys’ night out;” no bowling league or bar stool for him. It was always 100 percent work and total devotion to his family, survivors said.

He is survived by his wife, Frances Charos; his brother, Thomas Charos; his sister, Constance Constantopoulos; and his eight children, including two sets of twins, Peter and wife Eileen Charos of Hampton Bays, Margaret Halsey of Florida and Southampton, John Charos of Florida, James and wife Pauline Charos of Florida, Kevin and wife Paula Charos of New Jersey, Anthony Charos of New Jersey, Kathleen and husband David Ferrari of Florida, Maureen and husband Joseph Cambra of Kings Park; and 13 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews.

A gathering for family and friends will take place at R.J. O’Shea Funeral Home in Hampton Bays on Tuesday, October 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will take place at St. Rosalie’s Church on Wednesday, October 10, at 10:30 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.