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William M. Chrissos, a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio, died Thursday, June 1, 2006. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Charlotte Chrissos. Bill and Charlotte moved to Albuquerque in December 2005 for him to be cared for by their daughter, Cynthia Reinhart, and her family. Bill was born Basilios Michael Chrissos on February 4, 1924, to Michael and Zoe Chrissos, in Aperi, Karpathos, a Greek isle. He was brought by his father to the United States as a young teenager to escape the ravages of WWII, and lived for a time in Cadiz, OH. He enlisted in the army, and served in the 10th Mountain Army Division, Company L, 86th Mountain Infantry (Ski Troops), and completed his training at Camp Hale in Leadville, CO, where he saw snow for the first time, before deployment to Italy. He fought the Germans courageously, and was wounded in the Apennine Mountains in northern Italy in 1945, and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his bravery in combat. Upon discharge from the army, he moved briefly to New Mexico, where he attended New Mexico Teachers College (now Western NM University) before transferring to Ohio State University in Columbus. There, he met his wife Charlotte, at an Ohio State football game, in the student section. Bill graduated from Ohio State in 1951, suma cum laude and was president of the Ohio State International Studies Club. He and Charlotte moved to Upper Arlington in 1957, and raised 5 children in houses on Leighton Rd. and Fishinger Rd. Bill had a long career in the finance and lending business, and retired from ITT Industries in 1994. Upon retirement, he and Charlotte were able to travel with his son, Michael, to Karpathos and other Greek islands and to New Mexico and reconnect with family and friends of long ago. Bill is also survived by his children, Cynthia Reinhart, husband, Bill and their children Alex, Kate and Bobby of Albuquerque, NM; Annette Chrissos and sons, Jonathan and Jacob of Columbus, OH; Nancy Schneider and children, Adam, Jordan, Gary and Maya of Columbus, OH; Michael, wife Lisa and their daughters, Zoe and Marisa of Ann Arbor, MI; Cathy Slater, husband, Rob and their sons, Joseph, Grant and Gavin of Upper Arlington, OH; and his beloved cousin, Manolis Kapetanakis, wife, Thalia and their children Didi, Steve (of whom he was particularly close having lived with the Chrissos family while attending Ohio State), and Bill of Athens, Greece; sister, Fotini Sarris of Karpathos, Greece; special cousin, Sophia Lyrist and husband, John of Atlantic City, NJ; and many adoring friends and family. Papa was a devoted husband and father, and made life-long sacrifices for his family. He is loved and missed. He was an enthusiastic member of the Greek Orthodox Church choir, and he and his wife participated for many years in the annual Greek festival. The family wishes to thank Presbyterian Hospice for the love and care they gave to Bill during the past 3 months. Services will be held at The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 555 N. High St. Columbus, OH, on Tuesday, June 6, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. with Father Michael Kontos officiating. Private interment at Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to Presbyterian Hospice, Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, P.O. Box 26666, Albuquerque, NM 87125. French Mortuary, Inc. 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109 (505) 823-9400
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