Kathy Ioannou
The IronButterfly
Portfolio
Butterfly Rising Productions, LLC
Butterfly Rising Productions, LLC
A Transformational Life Coaching,
Strategic Communications &
Public Relations Consulting Agency
Simos Efstathiou Ioannou
3/6/1931 - 3/8/2015
Simos & Teddy Ioannou (my brother)
Born March 6, 1931 in Paphos, Cyprus to the late Katrina (Christodoulou) and Efstathios Ioannou. Devoted husband for 58- years to Charlene Ioannou. Adored father of Kathy Ioannou and the late Simos E. Ioannou Jr. (Teddy).
Beloved brother of Petroulla Papademetriou and the late Christakis Ioannou; Esteemed brother-in-law on both sides of the family. Cherished uncle and great uncle to many nieces and nephews in Cyprus and the United States. Much loved neighbor and friend to all.
At the age of 19, Simos made the long journey to the United States via the ship Vulcania — arriving at Ellis Island, New York on January 1, 1951. He came to the U.S. to attend the University of Texas where he earned a B.A. degree in engineering. Simos became a U.S. Citizen and held a love for both countries throughout his life.
While attending the University of Texas he also met Charlene. After a whirlwind romance they married and started a family. His first child and only son, Simos E. Ioannou Jr. (Teddy), was born in 1957. His only daughter, Kathy Ioannou, was born in 1964. He was a proud and loving father to both. After a long fight with childhood cancer his son, Teddy, lost the battle with Leukemia and passed away on April 1, 1975 at the age of 17.
In 1962, Simos embarked on a landmark career as an aeronautical engineer
with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (later known as McDonnell Douglas). He played an integral role in putting the first man on the moon. During his highly successful career in engineering, he received many awards and accolades for the various space programs he worked on. He retired in 1991.
In addition to his engineering endeavors, Simos’ greatest joy came out of a love for fixing things. For more than seventeen years he not only worked as a full-time engineer, he was also the full-time maintenance manager for Center Garden Apartments. Even after retirement, his passion for fixing things never waned. In 1991, he started a “Mr. Fix It” business offering his services to the community.
He believed in always being of service and helping others; family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike. In the spirit of volunteerism and civic responsibility, Simos generously gave of his time to numerous organizations such as the Junior Achievement program, the Ahepa organization and the Science Center. He will be long remembered as a loyal, caring man and dear friend to many.
Simos was a good man with a big heart and quite the character. He touched the lives of many with his presence in this world and we had the privilege to be a part of his life’s story. He has left us with an abundance of wonderful memories that bring joy, laughter and smiles to our heart. His light in this world has now been passed on to us to continue to shine in his honor.
Let us all rise-up and shine on ... Opa (Ωπα)!
Celebration of Life Service
Biography
Simos Efstathios Ioannou