Spiros Kallelis, 88
April 15, 1934 - September 27, 2022
U.S. Army Veteran
Spiros Kallelis, 88 of Middleton, MA, formerly of Salem, MA passed away unexpectedly at Beverly Hospital Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. He was the husband of the late Lucille (Poussard) Kallelis.
Spiros was the son of the late Charles and Georgia (Mavrakos)Kallelis. He was born and raised in Salem, on Meadow Street, surrounded by his loving Greek American family and circle of friends. Those close to him called him Sonny. He graduated from Salem High School (Class of 1952) and was drafted into the US Army shortly thereafter. He attended technical school where he trained to be an airplane mechanic, later choosing to apply his mechanical skills in the defense industry where he further developed his scientific abilities in a variety of high-tech positions. He culminated his career as a Research Associate at Aerodyne, a research and development company. He was the consummate handyman who could build or repair almost anything mechanical. He was also a talented amateur artist and created a series of pencil drawings, oil paintings and watercolors that hang in his children’s homes today. In his younger years, Spiros was an avid outdoorsman loving to hunt and fish, especially at his cabin in the New Hampshire mountains. His love of the outdoors led him to snowmobiling, where he was among the earliest people to have a registered snowmobile in Massachusetts. He later joined the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association and spent nearly 30 years creating, maintaining, and grooming trails. Upon retirement, he was named New Hampshire Snowmobiler of the Year. In his golden years, he lived in North Berwick, Maine until moving to Middleton, with his son Dennis, after his wife’s passing in 2016. He was fond of spending Sunday afternoons with his family and had a particular affection for being Papou to his grandchildren. Spiros was the rock of our family, our largest advocate, and provided us with his unconditional love.
Spiros is survived by two sons, Michael Kallelis of Topsfield, MA, and Dennis Kallelis of Middleton, MA; a daughter, Claire Kallelis and her husband Thatcher Kezer, III of Amesbury, MA; two grandchildren, Jackelyn Kallelis of Topsfield, and Thatcher Kezer, IV of Amesbury; a sister, JoAnn Westervelt of N.J.; and many nieces and nephews. Spiros was predeceased by his wife, Lucille (Poussard) Kallelis and his daughter-in-law Jody (Greenberg) Kallelis.
His funeral will be held in St. Vasilios Church, 5 Paleologos St. Peabody, Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 11 a.m. The family will receive guests at church before the service from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name can be made to the American Heart Association, at heart.org, or by mail to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.
To send a condolence to the family please comment below. Comments may not immediately appear.
