Tarsi Pantages

Tarsi Pantages was born July 25, 1947, in Seattle, to August A. Pantages and Virginia Pantages (Ladas). She grew up in north Seattle in a family that was always on the move—helping with entertaining, tending the garden, pitching in for church events. Her father's sister Helen was one of her closest confidants, and Helen and her husband George were deeply woven into the fabric of family life, beloved by Tarsi and her own children Chris and Tarsi alike. Her mother Virginia was one of four sisters, and Tarsi watched her tend to family with tireless devotion—including her Aunt Mary Zanides, who ran Crawford's Sea Grill, where a young Tarsi would help count the coins from the aquarium. That instinct for care ran through everything Tarsi did and everyone she loved. As a girl she helped her father offer samples of his Royal Dutch Ice Cream at area grocery stores, and in one of her earliest jobs helped her mother calculate interest for local banks.

Her summers were spent on Bainbridge Island, where life opened up—boating, water skiing, clam digging, fishing, and the freedom of zooming off by speedboat across Agate Pass for ice cream and candy. She loved dogs her entire life: her cocker spaniel Peanuts, her beloved dachshunds, her retrievers Sam and Evie, and most recently her little Zouzou.

At age seven she spent a year in Greece—a formative experience she carried always. Enrolled in a Greek-speaking school with no language skills, she was speaking Greek within a month and didn't want to stop. She held vivid memories of the candlelit Easter procession on Lykavittos in Athens, her mother radiant and glamorous in the flickering light. She played accordion beautifully, and at family gatherings her father, a wonderful singer, would join her—the two of them performing together for friends and family.

Tarsi was a member of the first graduating class at Nathan Hale High School in 1965, where she loved drama, singing, and school politics. She ran for Girls Club President on the slogan "It's Contagious, Vote Pantages"—delivering her speech offstage through her dachshund, who rode in a basket as her stand-in. She won. She earned a BA in History from the University of Washington in 1969 as a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, studied in Mexico City with sorority sisters and her cousin Frances Zanides, and traveled through Europe with her dear friend Janice Meuter. During college she worked at Nordstrom, became a cosmetics manager, and earned enough to pay entirely for her cherished yellow MGB.

In the 1980s and 90s she channeled her creativity into buying and renovating homes—finding a genuine artistic outlet in every design decision. This culminated in a Montlake home she transformed into a showcase for needlepoint rugs imported from Greece and custom marble and steel furniture she designed herself, featured in a local magazine. In 1993 she opened T. Pantages at University Village—a carefully curated bed, bath, and gift shop she imagined and built from the ground up. She loved seeking out beautiful things at gift shows, thrilled when something exquisite was accessible for all. Her dear friend Judith Clark brought the windows and interior displays to life with her artistry. The store closed in 2003, and the following year Tarsi opened Metrion, a coffee and gift shop on Bainbridge Island.

Throughout her life she was an active member of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, teaching Greek dancing and Sunday school, singing in the choir, and volunteering for the festivals her parents had helped cultivate.

She was an avid gardener and ardent lover of the outdoors—at home on a mountain trail, on skis at White Pass as recently as this past February, or floating in an inner tube at Madison Beach, singing songs and telling stories, especially with her granddaughter Ripley.

And there was always Greece. She returned throughout her life, most at home in the salt water and sunshine—at a taverna near the water, wandering the shops near the Acropolis, searching for the perfect bracelet or mati. She loved the islands and always wanted to find new ones. She brought her children and later her grandchild, and the sea became something shared across generations.

Tarsi is survived by her children Chris and Tarsi; her grandchild Ripley; her ex-husband Greg Burnside; her cousins Frances Zanides, Peter Kasdan, and Mark Zanides; and her goddaughter Marianne Costacos.

A Funeral Service will be held at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 1804 13th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, US, on June 17, 2026, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

A Committal Service will be held at Acacia Memorial Park & Funeral Home, 14951 Bothell Way NE, Seattle, WA 98155, US, on June 17, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.