Zone 17
No. 14 Vol. 2
New View Media Group • 1-800-691-7549
January 30, 2018
Montville Resident Pens Lessons Learned From Grandfather In First Book
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By Stefanie Sears or Montville resident and mortgage consultant Marc Demetriou, success is a choice and all about using one’s time wisely. He says that the four key factors of likability, integrity, expertise and passion also contribute to it. This and much more he learned from his maternal grandfather, Haralambos “Charlie” Pistis. It is these lessons that he used as the basis for his new debut book “Lessons From My Grandfather: Wisdom for Success in Business and Life,” published on Jan. 16. “I put a tremendous amount of hours into this book over the last two years and especially the last year, but it was all worth it,” Demetriou says, “The endorsements I received in the book as well as the reviews thus far have been humbling and gratifying.” Already a huge success in his mortgage career, Demetriou still walked into his office and says he felt, “There’s more to life than this though.” A light bulb went off and Demetriou was inspired. “I need to write a book,” Demetriou said to himself, “I want to write a book about my grandfather because he inspired me and he is my mentor. I want to give back to people and let them understand what it’s like to have a mentor and have someone to lead and guide you. I wanted to give the
mentor of my grandfather back to the world.” Demetriou also refers to Charlie as his best friend and guiding light, among many other appreciative, praising adjectives. Charlie passed away at the age of 97 and left behind a legacy within his grandson, whom he referred to as the son he never had. Charlie was born in 1909 on the island of Cyprus. He had dreams of becoming a pharmacist because at the time there was only one pharmacist covering a large area near his hometown and so therefore the profession made a lot of money. However, his path to this success was derailed when as a junior in high school his father pulled him out because he needed to help out with the family business. His father was the horse and buggy cab driver for the island, so he was away often and Charlie took on the role as the man of the house, caring for his mother and siblings. However, Charlie eventually decided that he wanted more out of life and left his home island with nothing but passion and drive to succeed. When he finally came to America through Ellis Island on November 15, 1929 around the beginning of the Great Depression, Charlie had a short stint shining shoes and then started climbing the hospitality ladder from busboy, to waiter, to head
waiter, and eventually to manager at the Zeta Psi Fraternity House and West Side Tennis Club. “He kept advancing to better opportunities because he was likable, hardworking, and had a positive attitude,” says Demetriou. “This helped him greatly in life.” Charlie retired at age 60, around the time Demetriou was born, and was in Demetri-
ou’s life for the next 37 years. In addition to teaching Demetriou lessons from his own life experiences, Charlie mailed him clippings of inspirational articles from three papers he read daily to further encourage him. “Don’t think you know it all” and “Do it right or don’t do it at all” are mantras among many that Charlie has instilled into continued on page 8