Nikola K. 'Nick' Dimitri

Biography
WORCESTER - Nikola K. (Nick) Dimitri, 97, passed away after a short illness November 27th at the Rose Monahan Hospice Residence surrounded by his family.  He was a son of Kiriako and Elisaveta (Dudo) Dimitri, and was predeceased by his brother, Peter, and daughter-in-law, Tamara Walker Dimitri.  He is survived by his wife, Dhimitra (Dee) Dimitri, his son, Dr. Dennis Dimitri, a daughter, Sandra Bisceglia and her husband, Matt; grandsons, Adam and Nicholas Bisceglia; his sister, Loretta Gregory and her husband, Theodore; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was born in Korce, Albania and raised in the nearby town of Belavoda, living there with his mother and younger brother Pete after his father emigrated to the U.S. in order to seek better opportunities for his family. He came to the U.S. in 1936 at age 17 when his father sent the family tickets for passage to America. At the Brooklyn docks he was greeted by his father who brought the family to a Worcester three decker apartment that he had prepared for their arrival. Nick then spent a year attending the Lamartine St. Immigrant School learning to read, write and speak English. For the next several years he worked in several downtown restaurants until the outbreak of WWII when, though not yet a U.S. citizen, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1942.  Upon completion of basic training at Ft. Devens in Massachusetts 6 months later, he received his papers to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. He then began what was to become a circumnavigation of the globe.  He was shipped to the western U.S. across the Pacific Ocean to Australia, and finally to the Indian sub-continent where he served behind the front lines in an Army evacuation hospital in the China Burma India theater of war  for the rest of WWII.  Originally told he would be trained as a medic, he asked if instead he could be assigned to the hospitals kitchen, using his prior restaurant experience. He became the hospital cook, further honing a set of skills that would serve him through the rest of his working life.  In late 1945 after the end of WWII he shipped across India to the Red Sea and through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea and for a second time in his life across the Atlantic to the U.S. Upon his honorable discharge from the army he returned to Worcester.  He often joked that he had traveled literally around the world courtesy of the U.S. Army. Back home he returned to working in local restaurants in Worcester and then in 1950, along with his brother Pete, opened Nick’s Spa and Luncheonette at the corner of Pleasant and Ashland Streets just a few blocks from downtown Worcester.  For over two decades Nick’s would be a meeting place not only for the local neighborhood residents, but for the businessman with downtown offices, for the doctors and lawyers with nearby practices, for the teenagers emerging in the afternoon from nearby Classical High School and on Sunday morning for the attendees at the masses of the many large nearby churches.  In 1951 Nick was married to Dee whom he had met at an Albanian American National Organization dance. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary this year. In the late 1950’s, after Nick’s brother Peter married and moved to Boston, Dee joined Nick in working at the luncheonette, making it a true “mom and pop” operation.  In later years when they were teens Dennis and Sandra would work there as well, after school and on weekends, making it a full family operation.  In the 1970’s Nick sold the luncheonette and partnered with his long-time friend John George in running the Spanish Grille restaurant on Main St in Worcester.  Nick “retired” from the Spanish Grille in 1983, but for another 10 years he worked part-time helping run the kitchen for his friends who operated the cafeteria in the Worcester courthouse. He enjoyed that opportunity to continue, even in his retirement, to interact with the wide swath of the public who passed through the courthouse doors. But running various eateries was only what he did for work; more important to him was what he did with family and friends. His greatest joy came from his wife and family, first his children and later his grandchildren, and the many loving nieces and nephews. He always looked forward to sharing Sunday afternoon dinners with extended family, from Easter and Christmas celebrations in his home, to celebrating the name days of family and his network of Albanian friends. He loved to garden, and could always be counted on to have plenty of vegetables from his back yard to share with all, and he was famous in the family for his backyard barbecues of delicious shish kebab.  His Albanian heritage was very important to him, he was a lifelong member of St Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church and its men’s group, the Sons of St Mary’s, and was the last surviving senior member of the original group of Chef’s for the biennial Albanian Festival.  After his retirement he was able to visit Albania for the first time since he had left 50 years earlier.  There he had a chance to reacquaint himself with the aunts, uncles and cousins that he had said goodbye to so many years before, and who had been trapped behind the walls of communism since the end of WWII. That trip further amplified his sense of how lucky he had been to be able to emigrate to the U.S as a young man, and how good this country had been to him. He often talked about the pride he had in his own American success story, and the fact that his children and grandchildren had been given the opportunity to do even more.  Though not native born, he assimilated to become part of the Greatest Generation who came of age during the Great Depression, fought WWII and then returned to build modern America. Nick remained very energetic well into his 90’s. He was a life member of the Worcester Lodge of Elks.  He joined the Greendale retired men’s club and he and Dee made several trips with that group to places like Spain, Morocco and Italy as well as their own domestic trips to Florida and California. He loved spending time at his son’s home on the Cape and attending his grandsons’ athletic events.  He took up bowling in his mid 80’s and continued to bowl until just a year or so ago when his arthritic knee wouldn’t allow it any longer. Nick was the friendliest person one could ever hope to know.  He was described by all who knew him as the nicest guy they could imagine.  In all his years working with the public he seemed never to have met anyone he did not like, and certainly there was no one who did not like him.  A few weeks ago he reminded his family of how lucky he had been to live so long and so well.  He had no regrets.   Family and friends are invited to join with the Dimitri Family for visiting hours from 4 to 7 PM on Monday, November 30, 2015 and again on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 from 10:30 to11:00 AM at St. Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church, 535 Salisbury Street, Worcester.  Nick’s funeral will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, December 1, 2015. Burial will be in Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Nick’s name may be made to St. Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church Endowment Fund, 535 Salisbury Street, Worcester 01609. Arrangements are under the direction of Philip G. Haddad, Jr., Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. MEMORY ETERNAL! To share a memory or offer an online condolence, please visit our "Guest Book" here on our page.

















Calling Hours


Monday
November 30, 2015
,

4 p.m.
- 7 p.m.




at
St. Mary's Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church


Click for Map and Directions





A Calling Hour


Tuesday
December 1, 2015
,

10:30
- 11:00 AM




at
St. Mary's Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church


Click for Map and Directions





Funeral Service


Tuesday
December 1, 2015
,

11:00 AM





at
St. Mary's Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church


Click for Map and Directions





Interment


Tuesday
December 1, 2015
,

12:30PM





at
Hope Cemetery


Click for Map and Directions