Stephan John Kounelias

Stephan "Steve" John Kounelias, born January 10, 1935, fell asleep in the Lord December 19, 2022, at the age of 87 years old, from complications associated with dementia.

Steve was born in Newark, New Jersey, to John and Despina Kounelias, first-generation Americans who emigrated from Greece in the early 1900s. As a young boy, Steve learned the value of hard work helping his father in his grocery store. He attended Westside High School and received his Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University in Newark. Steve began his career as a stock analyst with Lehman Brothers in New York City and over the course of 40 years, worked in human resources with Clairol in Atlanta, Georgia, Cities Service Oil Company in Monroe, Louisiana, and Justin Industries in Austin, Texas.

Steve married Barbara Miller in 1976, and they welcomed the arrival of their daughter Anastasia "Stacey" in Austin in 1981. He resided in Central Texas for 44 years living in Austin, Lago Vista and Pflugerville. In the 1990s, Steve began a career in the dry cleaning business as the vice president of Rick's Cleaners where he helped to expand and run that business until he retired at the age of 79.

In his retirement years, Steve was appointed to the Travis County Tax Appraisal Board and enjoyed traveling, especially on cruises, and spending time with his family, watching his three grandchildren grow.

Steve felt a deep connection with his Greek roots. He was known to host wonderful dinner parties, including for Stacey and her friends when she attended the University of Texas. He prepared large Greek feasts, including his mother’s recipes for lamb, pastitio, and spanikopita. He was welcoming, warm, and friendly to all. He loved keeping up with politics and current events and chatting about these over coffee with a few, close friends.

Stacey was the joy of Steve’s life, as was her husband, Chris, and their three children. He will be remembered as a loving, devoted father who was always just a phone call away, ready to listen and offer thoughtful, caring advice and words of comfort. In his final years, Steve spent many afternoons sitting in the sunshine on Stacey’s front porch, with the sounds of his grandchildren’s laughter and play surrounding him.

Steve was preceded in death by his father, John Kounelias, mother, Despina Kounelias, his brother Tom Kounelias (Alice "Kiki" Kounelias), his sister Mary Agalias (Ernest Agalias), his sister Penny Stavron, and niece Despina Palmeri (Sebastine Palmeri). Steve is survived by his daughter, Anastasia "Stacey" Chamberlin (Chris Chamberlin), and his grandchildren, Avery, Zoe and Ryan Chamberlin and many nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, located at 414 St. Stephens School Rd. S, Austin, TX 78746 on Thursday, December 22, 2022, at 10:00AM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the new building fund for Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church: https://onrealm.org/TGOC/-/form/give/now.