while taking classes in english at galileo high school, he met a mexican woman named sinda. as gus continued to work in restaurants and his new wife saved every nickel. in the late '60s, sinda's financial talent and gus's charm and hard work made it possible for them to buy a three-story jewel box of a restaurant near union square. it was founded and called john's grill. it was the first to open in the neighborhood after the earthquake and fire. the eatery was made famous by playing a small role in "the maltese falcon." he turned over the operation of the restaurant to his son and my friend, john. he continued to frequent the wood-panel dining room, greeting them with "john's grill -- nothing but the best." sidna died in 2009. in addition to his son, john, gus is survived by his son lionell, douaughters christine and a special thanks to dora escobar and irma izari. for those of you interested in celebrating his life, services will be 10:30, august 7, in san francisco. the family prefers in lieu of flowers, make a contribution to the san francisco firefighters toys program. >