Calling Hours
At Funeral Home
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Service Information
No Service
Final Disposition
Cremation
Pending
Obituary
Dr. Nicholas Billeris, 86 of Palmetto, Florida died Monday November 23, 2009. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Kelly Charles Moore Billeris, of Palmetto; daughter, Anna Christine Billeris-Boast (Gregory) of Snead Island (Palmetto); son, John Michael Billeris (Holly) of Long Island; brother, Harry Billiris of Tarpon Springs; sister-in-law, Jacqueline E. Moore, and husband Fred Langford of Palmetto; niece, Toni Moore Hampton (Charles) of Palmetto; nephews, Tom Billiris of Tarpon Springs; James C. Moore Jr. (Cina) of Palmetto and great-nephew, Jason Edwards Moore of Palmetto. He was a past president of The Manatee County Dental Association, a member of The American Dental Association, The West Coast Dental Association, The Florida Dental Association, The Academy One Hundred Field of Dental Education, The Braidentown Masonic Lodge #99 and a past member of the Bradenton Country Club. He was born on March 12, 1923 in Youngstown, Ohio to John H. Billiris and Anna Malias Billiris of Kalymnos Greece and was baptized Greek Orthodox. As a young boy, during the depression years, he and his family moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida where his father was employed in the sponge industry. He graduated valedictorian and president of his class from Tarpon Springs High School in 1941. He pursued his education by hitchhiking to Tennessee, then traveling on to California to attend UCLA at night where he was employed with the Douglas Aircraft Factory during the day. In 1943 he was drafted from Los Angeles and served as Sgt. with the Army Air Corps Weather Squadron 2nd Division, gathering and decoding data to transfer to meteorology stations. He also served as a Greek interpreter for Army Intelligence and received four Bronze Stars for his service in the European Theater. After WWII he attended Ohio Wesleyan and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. His achievements in academics enabled him to exempt his senior year. Nicholas was then accepted to Northwestern University in Chicago, joining the Delta Sigma Delta fraternity. He married Kelly in 1948, and continued his education in Chicago to earn his D.D.S. degree in dentistry, graduating with top honors from Northwestern Dental School. He also taught meteorology in Chicago to cadets enrolled in the R.O.T.C. program. In 1951 he and his wife Kelly moved back to Palmetto and opened his dental practice in Bradenton, Florida as the 12th dentist to Manatee County. He retired in January 1992 to complete a successful 40 year practice. During his practice he participated in writing the bylaws for the Manatee County Dental Association. He volunteered his time at schools and county dental programs to treat patients who had no resources to receive dental care. He loved to observe the ever changing patterns in the weather, naming the cloud formations and tracking their courses, and was fascinated by the field of meteorology. Meticulous in all that he did, he loved keeping his well manicured landscaping and was so proud of the beautiful Birds of Paradise he raised. A very intelligent, kind, and loving man, he always put his family and patients before himself. He truly lived by the rule, ‘If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.’ He dearly loved his family and friends and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. There will be a visitation on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 from 2:00-3:00pm at Griffith-Cline Funeral Home, 720 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton . In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Tidewell Hospice and Palliative Care, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota FL 34238