John (IwannhV) Gormanos Obituary
On June 24, 2020, John Gormanos fell asleep in the Lord after suffering a stroke. John was born in Katafigi (Kozani), which is in the mountains of Macedonia, in northern Greece. His parents were Theodoros and Theano Gormanos. After World War II, John’s parents moved to Katerini, Greece due to civil unrest following the war. His Thio Paul and Thia Mary Gormanos settled in Spokane, because of the many Katafigiotes (lumberjacks) in the area. John came to the US as Spokane’s first exchange student. He attended Rogers High School for a year to learn English, and then entered Gonzaga University earning a Mechanical Engineering degree. John was always close to the Greek Orthodox Church growing up with his Pappou as the parish priest. John became an active member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane. At a Greek picnic, he met Karrie (Kyriaki) Deliganis. When he finished Gonzaga, he returned to Greece and served two years in the Greek army. Karrie followed John to Greece, and were married in Katerini on October 2, 1960. They started their family in Spokane, and John worked for 37 uninterrupted years for the Kaiser Aluminum Mead plant. In 1997 John was granted a patent for his development of a system and method for rough cleaning and anode assembly. This resulted in eliminating numerous injuries on the assembly line. John’s service to Holy Trinity church includes serving as parish council president, board member, chanter, and choir member. He was also a member of the AHEPA serving in various leadership roles, worked feverishly for the Church Bazaar, and became the “Loukoumades King”. John considered his grandchildren his greatest treasure. John made a point to be an integral part of their lives, and was so proud to be their Pappou. John is proceeded in life by his beloved bride Karrie, his parents, his sisters Katerini, Elpida, Mary, and Mina. He is survived by his children Thea Ballas (Fr. Stavros), Theodore Gormanos (Lea), and Vassie Skoulis (Alex); grandchildren Alexandros and Yianni Skoulis, and Kyriaki and Yianni Gormanos; sister Ismini Voulka, and her children George and Theodoros Voulkas, nephew Kosta Merthinouda, Cousins Mina Gormanos (Gokee), and Paula (Gormanos) Kunicki; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation will be held at Hennessey Funeral Home on Sunday, June 28th from 4-8pm with a Trisagion at 7:30 pm. Due to COVID restrictions, a private funeral will be held on Monday, June 29th at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church officiated by Father Stephen Supica, Father Stavros Ballas, and Father Jerry Markopoulos. A gravesite service will follow at Riverside Memorial park at 12:30 pm, which will be open to all.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
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