Charles Kyrie Kallas

Charles Kyrie Kallas, 97, of Brooklyn, NY, passed away May 31, 2015, with his wife of 64 years, Virginia (“Ginny”) by his side. He was born in Piraeus, Greece in 1918 to Kyriakos Yulyeroglou and Aphrodite Andronoglou Danielides. He immigrated through Ellis Island in 1921. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School ’37 and received a BBA ’54 and MBA ’56 from Baruch College. He volunteered for the US Army Aviation Cadet Program and began navigator training at Selman Field, AL in 1942, receiving his wings in 1943. He was based in Barksdon Heath, UK in 1944, and dropped paratroopers from C-47s in multiple battles in Europe. After the war, he served as a navigator on ships in the Merchant Marine. He was recalled for duty in the Strategic Air Command for the Korean Conflict in 1950, and served as a reservist in the Military Airlift Command, flying worldwide missions, including many to Vietnam, until his retirement as a lieutenant colonel in 1971. He left the Air Force as a Master Navigator with a total of 12,000 flying hours, which included 550 combat hours. After WWII, he operated as a successful independent businessman in retail wine and spirits, then dry cleaning, and entered the real estate market in 1960, when he began investing in commercial properties in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. He also pursued a full-time teaching career in Mechanical Drawing (drafting) at his alma mater, Brooklyn Tech, and Manhattan Community College, from 1971 to 1983. A dedicated member of the Greek Orthodox community, he was twice President of the Board of Trustees of Three Hierarchs Church (Brooklyn), and a generous benefactor of both St Nicholas Church (Brooklyn) and St John the Baptist Church (Manhattan), as well as New York Presbyterian Hospital. He volunteered as a Greek translator for the NYC courts, and was committed to fundraising for the Wounded Warrior Project. His autobiography, “On the Wings of the Wind: The Story of the Last Navigator” was published on Amazon in 2013. He was a fiercely patriotic American and a staunch Brooklynite. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children: Anthony Homer Kallas of Arlington, MA; Ianthe Kallas-Bortz of Brooklyn; Nicholas Orion Kallas of Lynbrook, NY; and Thalia Loffredo of New York, NY. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Dominic Hement Kallas, Raquel Forsythia Kallas, Zoe Sarah Bortz, Cena Ari Loffredo, Kira Elysia Kallas and Theodore Ellis Bortz. Visitation will be Wednesday, June 3 from 2-5 & 7-10 at the CUSIMANO & RUSSO FUNERAL HOME, 2005 West 6 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11223. Funeral Liturgy will be on Thursday, June 4 at 11:00 AM at the St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 143 East 17 St., NY, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Wounded Warriors Project. www.cusimanoandrussofuneralhome.com