Lt. Col. Speros D. “Spatz” Thomaidis (USMC-Ret.) of Dumfries, Va., passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on Jan. 27, 2017. Spatz, age 86, joins his beloved wife, Kiki Zaharoolis Thomaidis, brother Nikos D. Thomaidis and “adopted brother” George Romanos, all who predeceased him.

The son of Greek immigrants, Spatz was born during the Great Depression in Highland Falls, NY, where he learned to speak English at public schools and, as a child, worked and lived at his family’s business, The West Point Arms Hotel and Restaurant. He graduated valedictorian of his high school class and went on to earn a degree from Cornell University, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Spatz epitomized the term “Semper Fi.”