Thursday, October 1, 2026
For more than four decades, Demetrios “Jimmy” Trahanas was a familiar presence behind the counter at the Golden Reef Diner, where his work ethic and devotion to his family became part of the fabric of Rockville Centre.
Trahanas died on Aug. 13, at age 72. The cause was not disclosed.
Born in Tripoli, Greece, on Jan. 4, 1954, Trahanas came to the United States in 1971, at age 16. He arrived with little, and worked a series of jobs before becoming a diner owner. After arriving in Queens, he worked at Rye Playland and a Queens Dunkin’ Donuts, making the fried pastries.
He also worked at the Imperial Diner, in Freeport, and another diner in Bayside, Queens, before using his savings to become a business owner.
In 1983, Trahanas took over and renovated the diner that would become the Golden Reef. It had previously been known as the Oasis Diner, and its history as an eatery dated to before the Great Depression.
The Golden Reef became a 24-hour institution, and Trahanas devoted himself to keeping it going. His son, Elias, recalled his father working the overnight shift when he was a child.
“He gave his life to the diner, he gave his life to the community, to the staff, family,” Elias said.
The diner remained open through challenging times, including Hurricane Sandy and the pandemic. During Sandy, the Trahanas family’s home in Bellmore was destroyed, but Jimmy continued going to the diner.
“He was like, ‘It’s a community story, you gotta be open,’” Elias said.
Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray said that Trahanas’s commitment to the community was evident during storms and difficult weather.
“Jimmy was truly a part of the fabric of our community, and his passing is a tremendous loss for all of us,” Murray wrote in a text. “He and his wife were always incredibly generous and supportive of our community, and Jimmy understood what it meant to be there for his neighbors.”
For Trahanas, his greatest source of pride was his family. He and his wife, Georgia, who survives him, were married for 42 years and raised three children, Bobby, Eleni and Elias. The family lived briefly in Rockville Centre after Bobby was born before eventually settling in Bellmore.
“He was our inspiration, and so is my mother,” Elias said.
Jimmy also mentored his sons in business. Elias said his most important lessons came from watching his father work and later working with him.
“He would say, ‘How do you do one thing is how you do everything,’” Elias said. “‘You don’t leave anything for tomorrow that you can do today. You can’t procrastinate because the most valuable thing you have in life is time, and you can’t waste it, especially in business.’”
Elias and Bobby later built their own business ventures, including food and beverage concessions at Robert Moses and Jones Beach state parks, which are still in existence. Elias helps run The Lannin at Jones Beach with Bobby and the Golden Reef with Georgia.
“He was a sweetheart,” Elias said. “I mean, the nicest, most giving man possible.”
Carolyn Stone, a diner customer who knew Trahanas for more than 25 years, said his devotion to his family was evident to those who knew him.
“He was dedicated to his family, he was … like the typical Greek-American success story, an American dream immigrant,” Stone said. “That’s what he was. He was like the epitome of that, and just hardworking. He started at the bottom with nothing, and worked his way up.”
Elias said his father was grateful for Rockville Centre, and understood that the diner’s success was tied to the community that supported it.
“Honestly, it was overwhelming, the support and love they gave,” Elias said. “I wish my father knew how many people loved him in the community.”
In addition to his wife, Trahanas is survived by their son Bobby and his wife, Maria; their daughter, Eleni; their son Elias and his wife, Effie; their grandchildren Georgia, James and Georgia; and his sisters, Panagiota and Christina.
A funeral service was held Aug. 19 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Merrick.
