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Love of sea stays with diver until death at 84
By ED QUIOCO, Times Staff Writer
TARPON SPRINGS -- There is a simple explanation, friends and family say, for why John C. Maillis was the youngest sponge diver in Tarpon Springs when he started his career and the oldest when he ended it. Sponge diving was his life. "He was just a plain, ordinary guy with a love for the sea," said Maillis' wife, Mary Maillis, of Tarpon Springs. And he was good at it. During a 67-year career as a sponge diver, Mr. Maillis became a local legend for his work ethic and his knack for finding the underwater treasures. Mr. Maillis, 84, died Friday at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital. He made his last dive three years ago when he was 81, Mrs. Maillis said. He would have kept hunting for sponges; but his body, recovering from shoulder replacement and heart surgery, was no longer able to take the rigors of diving. "People used to say to me, 'Aren't you afraid of him diving?' " Mrs. Maillis said Monday. "I said, 'No, I'm more worried about him driving on U.S. 19.' " Maillis could talk all day about diving and football. He was an avid fan of the Miami Hurricanes and the Miami Dolphins. "He liked the college better than the pros," Mrs. Maillis said. "He got so excited sometimes that he would have to walk out of the room." Maillis was born in Gary, Ind., but he didn't live there long. When he was 6 months old, his parents took him to Kalymnos, Greece. When he was 11, Maillis and his family moved to Tarpon Springs. Maillis started diving when he was 14, following in his father's footsteps. During those years, he earned the nickname "Greek," which stuck with him. "John was a legend in his own time, and he was an inspiration to all new divers coming in," said George Billiris, a longtime sponge merchant who was friends with Maillis. "He set many records for production over the years. He developed a very strong name in the sponge community and the community at large." At different times, Maillis was a diver, a captain of his own boat and a captain of one of Billiris' boats. "He was a very stern captain," Billiris said. "There was no wishy-washy. If you didn't show up when you were supposed to, your clothes were on the dock, and the boat was gone. He ran a tight ship." Maillis made good money finding sponges, Billiris said, but he kept diving because of his love for the work and the underwater beauty he encountered. It was not unusual for sponge divers to stay out to sea for 50 to 60 days, working from daybreak to dark. "He was definitely old school," Billiris said. "In the early years, people wanted to go with him because he made money," Billiris said. "But he worked the hell out of them." Even though he could no longer dive, Maillis did not hide his longing to go back to the water. "Thirty days prior to his death, I was talking to him; and we said, 'Hell, let's go fishing,' " Billiris said. "That's what we did, go fishing or sponging, whenever we got bored on land. And he said he was going to bring his dive suit." Maillis was a member of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Thomas B. Dobies Funeral Home, 701 E Tarpon Ave. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. -- Ed Quioco can be reached at (727) 445-4185 or quioco@sptimes.com .
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