Evangelos A Moustakas

Evangelos (Evan) Moustakas, age 89, a longtime resident of Santa Clara, California, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2025, at Kaiser Santa Clara, surrounded by his beloved family. He was also blessed to be accompanied by Fr. James in his final moments.

Evangelos was born on September 6, 1936, in Athens, Greece. He was the only child of Aristides D. Moustakas, originally from Pitrofos, Andros, Greece, and Sophia Primikiri, who hailed from Smyrna in the former Ottoman Empire. From an early age, he demonstrated a deep curiosity, love of learning, and devotion to education. He attended Peiramatiko High School in Athens, where his academic promise first became evident.

Through his hard work and intellectual gifts, Evangelos earned a Fulbright Scholarship, which brought him to the United States. He attended Oregon State College, where he earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He later completed his academic journey by earning a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University.

In 1961, Evan began an extraordinary academic career at San José State University, where he served as a professor of Electrical Engineering for over forty years. He was among the longest-serving faculty members in the university’s history and also served as Department Chairman, mentoring generations of students with rigor, fairness, and dedication.

In 1962, he married his beloved wife Marina Velliou of Kozani, Greece, in the Church of St Dionisio’s in Athens, across the street from his old high school.

Evangelos and Marina built a life grounded in family, faith, and education. They raised two children: Aristides and Sophia. He was a proud grandfather to Alexia Moustakas, Mikey Marx, and Andreas Moustakas, and Brandi Dionne. He also enjoyed being great-grandfather to Theo Flores Marx, Katie, Addie, and Gus Dionne.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Evangelos was a man of wide-ranging interests and deep passions. He loved photography, history, and reading, and was a lifelong cinephile, having developed a love for film in childhood. Music was a constant joy in his life, particularly the songs of Yiorgos Dalaras. He believed deeply in honesty, hard work, and the transformative power of education and knowledge.

Evangelos cherished his Greek heritage and was profoundly proud of Greece’s contributions to civilization. At the same time, he was deeply grateful for his adopted homeland, the United States, which provided him opportunities to learn, teach, and serve. His life was firmly rooted in the Greek Orthodox faith, which guided his values and sustained him throughout his years.

Evangelos is survived by his wife of over six decades, Marina Moustakas; his son Ari Moustakas and daughter-in-law Yvonne (Galaxidas); his daughter Sophia Moustakas and son-in-law Robert (Bob) Marx; his grandchildren Alexia Moustakas, Mikey Marx, and Andreas Moustakas; Brandi Dionne and her husband Glenn; and his great-grandchildren Theo Flores Marx, Katie, Addie, and Gus Dionne.

A Trisagion service will be held on Sunday, January 11, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, California. The funeral servicewill take place on Monday, January 12, at 11:00 a.m., also at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Interment will follow at City of Santa Clara Memorial Park, with a Makaria luncheon to follow.