Andreas “Andy” Kaiafas, a Cyprus native who rebuilt his family’s life in New Jersey after they were displaced by the 1974 invasion, passed away at his home on August 13, 2026. He was 89.
Kaiafas was born on February 17, 1937, in Mia Milia, Cyprus, to Costas and Maria Kaiafas. The second of eight children, he came to the United States in 1959 and worked his way through college, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
He married Maria Tsiarris in Cyprus in 1969. The couple lived briefly in the United States before returning to Cyprus in 1972, where Kaiafas worked in the government’s Treasury Department.
Their lives changed in 1974 with the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Kaiafas, his wife, and their three children were displaced from their home. According to his family obituary, they made their way through Europe, driving about 2,000 miles from Greece to England with eight people in one car, before eventually returning to the United States.
In New Jersey, Kaiafas went into the restaurant business with his family. In 1977, he joined his brothers Nick and Tony and their uncle Andy in purchasing the Ocean Queen Diner in Brick. A few years later, they acquired the Ocean Bay Diner in Point Pleasant. He remained in the business for about three decades.
Kaiafas also maintained close ties to the Greek-American community. He was active at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Toms River, where he served on the parish council and helped prepare food for the parish’s Greek festivals. He belonged to AHEPA and was a longtime member of Pan Gregorian Enterprises.
After retiring, he regularly returned to Cyprus to visit relatives. His family also recalled how he opened his home to nieces and nephews while they worked or attended university.
Kaiafas is survived by his wife, Maria Kaiafas; his son, Dr. Costas Kaiafas, and his wife, Dr. Cindy Rossi; his daughter, Anna Casey, and her husband, Michael Casey; his daughter-in-law, Wendy Hummel, and her husband, Matt Hummel; his brothers, Stelios and Sotiris; and his sisters, Demetra and Lenia.
He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Andreas, Andrew, Christina, Christos, Nicole, Carli, Mariana, and Maggie, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins in the United States and Cyprus. He was predeceased by his son Christos and his brothers Tony, Solis, and Nicos.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, August 18, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Silverton Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Toms River.
A viewing will be held Wednesday, August 19, from 9 to 10 a.m. at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 2200 Church Road in Toms River. The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a graveside service at 11:15 a.m. at Ocean County Memorial Park, 1722 Silverton Road.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church.