OBITUARY John Kleissas July 9, 1920 – September 18, 2018 John Kleissas died at home on September 18, 2018 at the age of 98. He was born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1920, the son of Nicholas and Martha Kleissas. He served as an altar boy at Ypapanti Greek Orthodox Church and attended East Pittsburgh High School.
John graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During World War II he was hired by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft in San Diego, California, where he worked as a flight test engineer for the war effort. He went on to receive a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.
John’s career continued with Radioplane, a pioneering company in the development and manufacturing of drone aircraft for the armed forces and concluded with the Aerospace Corporation, where he designed missiles and rockets. In keeping with his love for aviation, after retiring in his sixties, John went back to school and earned his FAA Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics License. He established himself as a go-to-guy for numerous pilots and airplane owners at Van Nuys Airport.
In 1949 John married Demetra Doris, a native of Los Angeles, and together they moved to the San Fernando Valley where they raised their sons Nick and Constantine. John had many passions; he was an ardent trout fisherman who pursued his prey from the Eastern High Sierras to Canada. He was an active parishioner in Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and served as a Board Member.
Perhaps John’s greatest passion was being the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 888, chartered by Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. For 17 years he led Boy Scouts on many adventures, the culmination of which was a six week trip to Europe. For his years of service, John was awarded one of Scouting’s highest achievements, the Silver Beaver Award.
In his final years, John was grateful for the unwavering support and love given to him and Demetra by their close friends and care givers, who are now considered family. John is survived by his wife of 69 years, Demetra, his sons Nick (Burbank, California), Constantine (Wye Mills, Maryland) and his grandchildren, John William, Evangelia and John Matthew and by his daughters-in-law, Athena and Polly. The Trisagion service will be held at 7pm on Friday, September 21 at Bastian & Perrott, Oswald Mortuary in Northridge.
The funeral service will be at 10 am on Saturday, September 22 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Northridge, followed by the interment at Oakwood Cemetery and then the Makaria luncheon at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s honor to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Northridge st-nicholas.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
