POLITES, Margie

POLITES (Kossoudji),

Margie D.

Age 76, formerly of Centerville and Waynesville, passed away in Sarasota, FL, on Saturday, April 3, 2021, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. Margie was born on August 1, 1944, in Dayton, Ohio, to

Demetrius Kossoudji and

Athena Tepelides. She was a graduate of Colonel White High School in 1962. Her outstanding organizational skills and friendly disposition led her to spend much of her professional life in accounting roles for her Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Gem City Lumber, Moyer Mortgage, and General Motors before deciding to stay at home to raise two sons. She was co-owner of South Dayton Wallpaper Plus where she and partner Darla Stenglein decorated hundreds of homes and the Bachelor Officer Quarters at WPAFB during the 1980s. They were instructed to put up pink and burgundy wallpaper in the B.O.Q. because it had a "calming effect". She took pride in her spectacular garden and was a member of the Oak Creek South Garden Club in the '80s and '90s. She developed a thirst for learning and set her sights on a college education. She earned her Associates degree from

Sinclair Community College in 1992 and Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a concentration on Management

Information Systems from Wright State University in 1994.

Margie embraced her Greek heritage at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Dayton where she served as

President of several organizations and chaired the Gyro booth at the annual Greek Festival with her best friend Mary Mitrousis Searles. She also loved watching her husband John play clarinet with the Greek Tycoons at the festival and sax with Fifth Avenue band at various events throughout southwest Ohio. Nobody could make her laugh like he could. They

cherished taking cruises, traveling to Las Vegas, Alaska,

California, and Greece. In 1999, the band began playing annual Greek festivals in Naples and Ft. Myers, Florida. She became a "roadie" along with her friends Diane Kontonikas, Marilyn Blazakis, and Mary Searles. While the band was out playing in the daytime, the girls went out shopping, to garage sales, and to flea-markets. In 2004 she designed their beautiful dream home in Cyprus Ridge in Waynesville, surrounded by woods and gorgeous gardens. After becoming snowbirds for over a decade, they became permanent residents of Sarasota,

Florida, in 2018. God, family, and friends were her foundation. She adored entertaining, and she knew how to make others feel special. With an infectious laugh and comforting smile, she always made everyone feel welcome. As a mom she taught her boys to "try not to say anything negative about anyone", and to "look for the best qualities in others".

As the sixth of seven children, she is preceded in death by her father Demetrius; her mother Athena, and her sister Bessie. Other siblings include Nick, Chris, Ted, Pete, and Toula Stamm. She is survived by her husband John of 52 years; sons Steve (Kelly) of Durango, Colorado, Mike (Holly) of Indianapolis,

Indiana; grandsons Todd and Benjamin; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Family will greet friends from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm, Sunday, April 11 at Routsong Funeral Home, 81 N. Main St., Centerville, with Trisagion Prayers at 3:00 pm. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am, Monday, April 12 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 500 Belmonte Park N., Dayton, OH 45405, and conducted by Rev. Fr. Joseph Gingrich. The family would like to express their thanks to the many Dayton-area friends that have blessed Margie's life. If desired, in lieu of flowers, friends may make memorial contributions to the Alzheimer's Association of Sarasota, Florida, or to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Fond memories and

expressions of sympathy may be shared at

www.routsong.com