John E. Costalas, beloved son, brother and uncle to many closed his eyes for the last time on October 10, 2021 in New York City.
Born on May 16, 1936 in the village of Karyes in the province of Laconia , Greece, the son of the late Efstratios & Paraskevi Costalas came with his family to the United States in 1952 in pursuit of the American Dream. Coming from humble beginnings he worked relentlessly to ensure a better tomorrow for himself his family and his community. He attended Taft High School in the Bronx and later the City University of New York to study Civil Engineering while he was also a member of the college’s soccer team that made it to the NCAA Final Four.
While pursuing his studies he also worked hard and soon at a young age became a partner at The Waldorf restaurant to later join his brothers in opening one successful restaurant after another such as Munchtime USA, Socrates Pizza, Huckleberry Finn Donut Shop, Arachova Coffee Shop, Essex I, Essex II, Essex III, Vivia’s Deli, Steve’s Pizza, The Essex World and Bridge Deli.
He always had a love and a place in his heart for all sports. Not only was he uniquely knowledgeable about sports he also did everything he could to generously help athletes and/or coaches who in need, many of them from his homeland Greece. As a result over the years he has been honored and recognized numerous times by many organizations including The Greek Basketball Federation, most recently at the Greek Consulate in New York, THE YMCA Basketball Museum in Thessalon ki and The Greek American Soccer Club in Queens, NY.
He served selflessly and tirelessly as a liaison between his native Greece and the United States- the country that took him in and he loved and appreciated throughout all his life – by welcoming and helping countless athletes, coaches, administrators, and people from all walks of life of Greece , contributing in every way he could in their advancement. He is survived by his only remaining brother, James Costalas, all of his beloved nieces and nephews and the countless individuals who considered him an uncle and always referred to him as ‘Mparmpa Yianni” / “Uncle John” all recipients of his loving moniker “Kamari”.
The viewing will be held at MATTHEW FUNERAL HOME
2508 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314.
This Thursday, October 14, 2021 & Friday, October 15, 2021 between the hours of 5pm – 9pm
The funeral will be held at 11am on Saturday October 16th, 2021
at the Holy Trinity St. Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church,
1641 Richmond Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314.
In his memory and to honor the life he lived, we have established a fund for a museum dedicated to his hometown, Karyes that he loved so much. Donations can be made to:
ACC.ΝΑΜΕ: SYNDESMOS TON APANTACHOU KARYATON
NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE
IBAN: GR5601106620000066200228709, SWIFT (BIC): ETHNGRAA GREECE
Or feel free to contribute to: Super League Athletic Academy,
130 93rd Street, Brooklyn,NY 11209, Slaanyc.com
Checks can be made payable to: Super League Athletic Academy
