George Haseotes

George Haseotes, 94, Devoted and Beloved Family Man who Helped Build Cumberland Farms Retail and Service Station Empire

Composed by George K. Regan Jr. (NY Times)

For George Haseotes, a member of one of America's great entrepreneurial families, success was born of hard work, but passing along his wisdom to the people he loved was easy.

Like the summer he met with one of his nephews almost daily at a restaurant in Marshfield, a town on Massachusetts' South Shore, in what amounted to an informal master class in business and life.

"What stood out most to me was how he carried himself," the nephew, Sam Williams, an associate at Bain Capital Real Estate in Boston, recalled. "He showed up for anyone, answered every phone call on the first ring, and never missed a chance to be with family. I remember meeting him at the Bridgwaye almost every day one summer, listening to his stories about New England businesses and the people behind them. The way he shared what he knew made people want to be around him and learn from him."

The willingness with which Mr. Haseotes shared his time, knowledge, and love was among the first things that those who knew him recalled this week, following his passing at age 94. Mr. Haseotes, a resident of Florida and Massachusetts, died March 18, 2026, while surrounded by people he loved at Good Samaritan Hospital in Palm Beach, Florida.

His wife, Kristen Williams Haseotes, said her husband was one of "the smartest, toughest, and sweetest men I have ever known. He was a giant, but in the end his greatest accomplishment in his eyes was his children and grandchildren."

Mr. Haseotes built his career, as did several of his siblings, at the helm of Cumberland Farms, the chain of convenience stores and gas stations that they grew into one the most prominent and visible companies across New England the East Coast of the United States. In addition to his pivotal role helping build the family company, he also owned dairy and cattle farms in upstate New York and, along with his wife, became a major real estate investor and developer in Florida and other locations in recent years.

"He had a love of the financial markets and bringing people together," Mrs. Haseotes said. "Making deals is what he did every day. But farming was his passion."

Numerous friends and loved ones remembered Mr. Haseotes this week for his humanity as much as for his business skills. "He was a special person who would certainly say, 'I did it my way,'" said his close friend Dean Metropoulos, an investor and businessman whose acquisitions have included Pabst Brewing Company and Hostess Brands. "A good human with a special life and ancestry, with love and pride for his family, and a very astute businessman who contributed to many whom he dealt with and certainly left his mark on we who knew him. Continue to enjoy your journey, my friend, and we will meet again."

Michael McCloskey, a veterinarian and the co-founder and CEO of Select Milk Producers, the nation's sixth largest milk cooperative, remembered Mr. Haseotes as "an inspiration, not only to me, but to countless others." "His energy, enthusiasm, and relentless desire to never stop learning and sharing was the bond of our friendship," Mr. McCloskey said "When his name popped up as incoming call, a true sense of friendship would fill me with joy as I got ready to hear a new great adventure from one of the most interesting and loving persons I have ever crossed paths with."

Another friend, David Mackie, a real estate advisor, noted, "He was a good man, a world traveler, a great conversationalist... it's a sad day in New England today."

The story of Mr. Haseotes' family began, like those of many other early 20th century newcomers to America's shores, with dreams of a better life.

He was one of eight children born to Vasilios Spiros Haseotes and Aphrodite (Bassis) Haseotes, Greek immigrants who settled and raised their family in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The origin of the business that Vasilios and Aphrodite founded is the stuff of legend: in 1939, with $84 and a single cow to their name, they started a dairy farm in their adopted hometown. Owing to their tireless work, and eventually that of their children, the Haseotes Dairy Farm became a growing concern.

Around this time, Mr. Haseotes spent one year studying - and boxing - at the University of Rhode Island. But when his brother, Demetrios left home to serve in the US military in the Korean War, Mr. Haseotes returned home to work on the farm, milking cows among other tasks. "He said his mother cried when he walked down the driveway with his bags," his wife recalled.

In the 1950s, Mr. Haseotes' family opened their first dairy store in Bellingham, Massachusetts, initially known for selling half gallon and gallon jugs of milk, the first Cumberland Farms location soon added a range of other products, making it New England's first true convenience store. The journey from one dairy cow to multibillion dollar company had begun.

Several Haseotes children joined in that business journey. Within the expanding family company, Mr. Haseotes worked alongside his brother Byron and others. Among the projects they undertook was designing, building, and operating the largest experimental dairy farm under one roof in the country at that time. The company eventually ventured into gasoline sales, purchasing Gulf Oil and Chevron service stations in 10 Northeastern states in the mid-1980s and some 200 Exxon stations in 2003. The acquisitions propelled the already successful company to even greater heights.

In the mid-1970s, the Haseotes family purchased the second largest cranberry producing company in the world; they subsequently enhanced and sold that business a decade later to help finance the acquisition of the Gulf Oil assets in the Northeast.

As owners and operators of the Cumberland Farms empire, the Haseotes family developed a well-earned reputation for intelligent real estate acquisitions, carefully choosing profitable locations for new stores and gas stations - a corner spot with easy access at the intersection of two streets was always a preference. That focus on prime locations, one investment web site noted, was "the silent engine that turned a dairy store into a regional powerhouse."

Mr. Haseotes' family eventually owned and operated more than 600 Cumberland Farms convenience stores and provided gas to some 2,500 service stations throughout New England, New York, the Mid-Atlantic states, and Florida through its Cumberland Gulf Group. The company was acquired by EG Group, an international fuel station and convenience store retailer, in 2019.

Throughout the decades, as the Haseotes family grew, one constant remained Mr. Haseotes' devotion to those he loved; younger generations were the willing beneficiaries of his accrued wisdom and experience.

"I could go on and on about what uncle George taught me," his nephew D.B. Haseotes said. "But what truly made him special was the relationships he had and treasured that spanned generations. If Uncle George respected you, you knew it. His tenacity for work, his love for family and willingness to help friends is something that was truly incredible to watch and learn from."

Another nephew, Vasilios "Billy" Haseotes, noted that "Uncle George was a mountain of knowledge. I learned so much from him when it came to crops and cattle. He was the man to call over the years. He showed up to my ranch in Okeechobee at least three or four times a year to tell me how I could do things better. Every time he showed up, I learned something new."

Kamil Salame, whose father was a dear friend of Mr. Haseotes for more than 45 years, though not a blood relative, considered Mr. Haseotes "a larger-than-life uncle to me." Mr. Salame added, "He was smart, tough, courageous, and devoted to his family and friends. A lion, the likes of which are rarely seen anymore."

Mr. Haseotes is survived by his beloved wife, Kristen Williams Haseotes; his children, George Williams Haseotes, Holly Haseotes Bonomo and her husband, Richard, and Michael Haseotes and his wife, Elizabeth Carroll; a stepdaughter, Katherine Maloy; and grandchildren, Jamie Bonomo, Drew Bonomo, Grace Haseotes, and Cameron Haseotes. He was the stepfather of the late James Kay.

Mr. Haseotes was the brother of Dr. Hytho Pantazelos, Anastasia Marty, Lily Bentas, and JoAnn Tambakis. He is also survived by his former wives, Beverly Southwick Haseotes and Janis Murphy Haseotes, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Erato Haseotes and brothers, Byron Haseotes and Demetrios Haseotes.

A Greek Orthodox Funeral Liturgy for Mr. Haseotes will be celebrated on Monday, March 30th, at Noon in the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, 97 Walcott St., Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Calling Hours will be held prior to the Liturgy in the church from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. Interment at Stetson Meadows Cemetery in Norwell, Massachusetts will be private.

With profound gratitude, flowers are respectfully omitted. Memorial gifts to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, 97 Walcott St., Pawtucket, RI 02860 would be sincerely appreciated. Arrangements are entrusted to William W. Tripp Funeral Home, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. www.TrippFuneralHome.com