Mr. Gialamas was deeply religious and was active in his church. He was a staunch supporter and longtime member of the United Chios Society of Baltimore, and at one time was its president. He was an avid member of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, an advocacy organization.
Born in Thimiana, on the Greek island Chios, Mr. Gialamas met his wife while she was vacationing there. They kept in touch through letters and, at age 22, he boarded a ship and caught up with her in West Virginia. They married in 1957 and eventually settled in Baltimore.
Family members said Mr. Gialamas often joked that he had nine lives: He survived a 50-foot fall from a bridge that put him out of work for six years, quadruple bypass surgery, a heart valve replacement, an aneurysm repair, two bleeding ulcers and two hip replacements. Undeterred, he was on his roof power-washing the house as recently as a week before his death.
