Donations can be made in memory of John Boufis to St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church Restoration Fund online (https://www.stjohnsbluepoint.org/restoring-for-our-future), or by check to St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church, 77 Montauk Highway, Blue Point, NY 11715.

John “Babe” Boufis passed away peacefully on October 31, 2024. John was born in Bay Shore, New York, on July 15th, 1934, the third child of Eva and Emmanuel Boufis, who’d emigrated from Spetses, Greece. John is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-four years, Margie Boufis (nee Nouffo), his three children, Christina Boufis Peterson, Stephanie Nelson, and Michael Boufis, and five grandchildren: John Michael Boufis, Victoria Boufis, Channing Nelson, Adlai Nelson, and Gus Peterson. He is also survived by his older twin sisters, Caliope Capkanis and Mary Filou, both 92. John was a proud native of Bay Shore. In high school, he was a champion lightweight wrestler who earned a full wrestling scholarship to Columbia University when he was only sixteen years old. John left the university before graduating to pursue other interests. He was inherently mechanical, could figure out and fix anything, and had an amazing photographic and encyclopedic memory. Even at the end of his life, John could recall the names of all his elementary school teachers, the scores and players at his high school wrestling meets, and every street and building in Bay Shore and how they changed over the past ninety years.

John worked in construction, and then later helped his father run the family bar and restaurant, The Trade Winds, on Third Avenue in Bay Shore. He took over when his father died in 1970 and ran the bar and restaurant until 1976. At the age of sixty, he became a building inspector for the town of Southold and enjoyed meeting people and developing relationships with his co-workers. John needed people as he needed oxygen. He was a natural born storyteller with a remarkable recall for people and places. He’d often say, “Let me tell you something.” Or, “I remember the time” and he was off, launching into a long tale, complete with minute details. John would chat with anyone – and everyone! He remembered everyone he met, especially those who were kind to him. Everyone who met him, even briefly, said what an unforgettable character he was. John made life-long friends. He was a neighbor you could count on. He was truly one of a kind—a great man with an even bigger heart.

John loved playing golf. One of his favorite sayings was that it never rained on the golf course. He loved his golfing buddies. He connected with animals, especially birds, and enjoyed the sun on his face, swimming in a salty ocean, the taste of a cold beer, and most of all his family and friends. Heaven just got a bit more interesting – and a lot noisier – with John in it. But he will be deeply missed here on earth.