James Pakis' Obituary
James “Jim” Pakis, 92, a resident of Kirby Pines Retirement Community in Memphis since 2007, died on Monday, May 18, 2015, of natural causes. He was surrounded by his family and got to watch one more horse race. Jim was the son of immigrants, a decorated veteran of WWII, an engineer – a Brooklyn, NY, native who lived much of his adult life in the deep south – from New Orleans to Savannah. Visitation for the family will be at Memorial Park, Memphis, at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, with a memorial service at the chapel at Kirby Pines Retirement Community at 6 p.m., Wednesday, May 20.Jim grew up in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Greek immigrants from Asia minor, and a relatively normal NY kid for the time. He had a bike and a paper route. He played stickball in the streets and tried to go to as many Dodger games as he could. Jim finished high school as WWII was starting. Because he was too young, his enlistment papers required his parents’ signature. After his father refused to sign for a position in the corps of engineers (because building bridges was dangerous) Jim got him to agree to the Navy, where he served in the “less” dangerous position of tail gunner on a TBF Grummond Avenger Torpedo Bomber. While running missions on targets near Okinawa, Jim’s plane was severely damaged and crash-landed in the Pacific. Jim received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his exemplary service.After the war, Jim used the GI Bill to attend Oklahoma State, where he received a degree in engineering, and met the love of his life, Janis Whitmer from Kansas. Jim and Jan raised their family first in New York, then Detroit, New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and finally Georgia. Jim worked as an industrial engineer first with Chrysler and other defense contractors until retiring from the Department of Defense in 1985. He is a proud member of the Masons, Louisiana Lodge #102 F.&A.M. and a Past Master.He was a life-long scholar, and always kept up with the news. After Jan’s death in 2006, Jim moved to Memphis, where he spent his last eight years enjoying family and new friends. During that time his favorite things were eggs, political arguments, dirty martinis, horse races, and a weekly bible class he attended on Monday nights.Jim wasn’t a big advice giver unless you were grilling a steak or buying a car, and he wasn’t the guy to come in and hug you after a bad day. But he would be the first to bring you a beer, and if a problem needed fixing, he’d probably figure it out for you. His charm was in his curtness. His manner was endearing in its predictability. He was a fighter – through and through.He is survived by his sister: Catherine Lainis of New York; his children: Helen Bennett and Jim, their children Tony and Joy; Revs. Thomas Papazoglakis and Elizabeth, their children Erika, Niki, and Sarah; Adrienne Pakis-Gillon and Bill, their children Douglas and Martha; Catherine Ice, her children Nathanial and Emily; and five great grandchildren.
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