John George Sakellaris

John G. Sakellaris was born in 1926 in San Francisco. He passed away peacefully at the age of 97. John’s family moved to the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle in 1931, where John would live his entire life. During his senior year at Queen Anne High School, he enlisted in the Army and served in the Air Corps during WWII.

John retired from Johnson Controls after a fulfilling career as an electrician. He was a proud member of the IBEW Local 46 electrical union. In the spring of 2023, he was honored to receive his 75 year membership pin from the union. John often shared memories of working on landmark buildings throughout Seattle, including the light on top of the Space Needle!

John was devoted to his wife of 53 years, Penelope (Penny). Their lives were filled with numerous gatherings celebrating family and friends from their church community, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. His father, George, was a founding member of the church. John was proud of his Greek ancestry and enjoyed visiting the country and distant relatives in his family’s village, Erythres, previously known as Kriekouki.

John spent many summers at his beloved cabin on Blue Lake near Soap Lake, WA. He was proud to be one of the first residents to build a home on the lake in 1961. He built the cabin by hand with his cousin’s help. He loved nothing more than tending the abundant garden and trout fishing on the lake.

In his later years, John enjoyed researching his family's genealogy and creating custom DVD recordings. He loved history and was a lifelong learner.

John is predeceased by his step-son Constantine (Dean) Stephas. John is survived by his beloved wife, Penny, step-daughter Sofia (Tim) Kenny, grandchildren Peter (Hana) Kenny, Emily (Jordan) Vardell, great-grandchildren Cameron, Reese & Declan and numerous relatives in Greece.

A Funeral Service to honor John will be held on Monday, May 6, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.

in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.