On Thursday, city and county representatives, and friends and family alike, paid tribute to the late George Chumas.

Chumas was a fixture in downtown Minot and is remembered by generations of Minot residents, many of them loyal customers.

He died in 2006 at age 75.

Chumas sold his business to Ward County in 2005 he had owned it since 1964 and the county’s new Ward County Office Building is located on the exact spot where Chumas conducted business and raised his wonderful daughters with the help of his wife and business partner, Effie.

The entire Chumas family took their turns running the store, and a popular place it was. Minot Food Store was open seven days a week back in the days when only certain stores were allowed to do business on Sundays. Who didn’t pick up a carton of milk or loaf of bread when they got in a pinch on a Sunday morning or afternoon?

But it was the warmth and friendliness of George Chumas and his family that was the big draw, not the milk.

George Chumas, an Army vet and model citizen after coming to Minot from his native Greece, was well known around town, especially for supporting youth at various sporting events.

People may not have realized it, but Chumas knew the players, or many of them. He tracked their athletic “careers.” They were his customers, afterall. On Thursday, a monument was dedicated in Chumas Plaza outside the new office building.

That was class move on the part of the county commission. A class move to honor a man who exhibited great class his entire life and passed it on.