John Andreadakis

John (Ioannis Patroklos) Andreadakis, 85, passed away September 26, 2026, peacefully at home.

John was born to Patroklos and Giasimo Andreadakis on the island of Samos, Greece on December 8, 1940, during WW II, in a small one-room dwelling made from large flat rocks stacked on each other located the other side of a large foothill at the back of his hometown of Pythagorio, known at that time as Tigani. This place was chosen due to their hometown being under threat of bombing.

John had an interesting life which was also quite different from most of us. His growing up years were spent helping his family rebuild after the war. From about age six he did a man’s work year after year, laboring to help his family and extended family slowly, slowly restore what had been destroyed during the war. This experience set in him an extremely strong work ethic and a “never give up” attitude that remained and drove him throughout the rest of his life. His favorite pastime, if he could manage it, was swimming in the sea. He envied the children of families that fished from their boats for a living and could swim whenever they wanted instead of a family like his that sweat in the hot sun as they worked in their olive orchards and farmed crops on the land. This drove his love of the sea and his love of swimming. He ended as one of the better swimmers on the island and with a beginning career at sea.

He worked as a navigating officer with the Greek merchant marines as a young man, traveling the world which fed his love of sailing and a longing for the sea. Although he spoke no English, he found he had a knack for translating instruction manuals from English to Greek. He also was handy at fixing machinery and devices on the ships. Although he had no formal training on the devices, the captain of each ship came to rely on him to resolve any electronic breakdown. While aboard the various ships, he began taking electronic correspondence courses through an institute in the United States. He later decided to study Electronics in the US and found Valparaiso Technical Institute in Indiana where he earned an Associate Degree in Engineering Electronics. He was hired right out of college by Digital Equipment Corporation where he worked for 21 years in the hardware and software divisions before retiring.

John became a United States citizen in 1977 and was a passionate lover of this land and all it had to offer. While studying at Valparaiso Institute, he met and married his first wife, Bess, and they had 4 children: Michael, Adam, Elizabeth, and Christina. An additional child, Jasmine, which was their firstborn, died a few hours after birth – very devastating for both he and his wife. A Greek priest told them their infant was now “lost” because it has not been baptized. This did not seem logical to them, and they began searching to understand which led them to meet the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the missionaries came knocking at their door. They discovered their little baby was not “lost” which brought great comfort to their hearts and they were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ right away. John had a love for the missionaries and of missionary work and spent many hours accompanying various missionaries on their visits to people interested in the Church. He served in various ward clerk positions over the years and once as Elders Quorum president, however testifying of Jesus Christ and the Church to anyone and everyone he met was his favorite thing to do (besides swimming!).

Just before retiring, John met and married his 2nd wife, Nancy, in 1990 and adopted her nearly-grown daughter, Julie. About 6 years later, he and Nancy returned to his homeland of Greece and did unofficial volunteer work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 5 years.

After returning from Greece, having a love of working with his hands and with the help of his brother-in-law, John became an independent subcontractor as a finish carpenter and did that for over 20 years. While working, he also renovated each house we lived in, unable to not keep his hands busy and with a continuing desire for improving his environment that remained from his youth. Even after retiring from being his finish carpenter business, and at age 82, he kept busy at his final home and single-handedly felled 5 huge trees in his yard to clear the way for access to the sun for the planned solar panels on the roof as he had done in Maine. He felled those trees by himself even though help was offered by passers-by. Plus, one of those trees he did in a rented 40 foot “man-up bucket,” also alone to the amazement of all who saw him. He had always been fiercely independent and enjoyed working on his own. Disease stopped him from his solar panel plans and all the plans he had for his final home due to his body and abilities beginning to fail him. He was able to continue swimming several miles a week almost right up to the end when his strength finally failed him.

He truly was a great and amazing man and much loved and admired by his family and friends.

John is survived by his wife of 35 years, Nancy, and his children Michael Andreadakis, Adam Andreadakis, Elizabeth Andreadakis Connolly, and Christina Andreadakis Montgomery, and his adopted daughter Julie Andreadakis Bangs, his stepson Brian Morris, and along with his 23 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

There will be no funeral but instead his children will later have a private gathering for “A Celebration of Life” for their father.