Elissaios (Ellis) John Theodorakos
September 24, 1953 – June 15, 2021
Elissaios (Ellis) John Theodorakos, 67, passed suddenly from heart failure at home on June 15th. He leaves all who loved him hungry forever for his wit, humor, hugs, and beautiful poetry.
He is survived by his wife Ann Gillespie, daughter Elizabeth Audrey (21) and Liam John (15), who were the pride and joy of Ellis’ life. He will be deeply missed by his surviving sibling, George Theodorakos, his wife Danica and their two children, Tess, and Alexander.
Ellis was born in Washington DC. His father, John, immigrated from Greece and his mother, Angelina (Caparones) was first generation Greek. The family settled in College Park, enjoying summer vacations in Ocean City, taking the trolly to Glen Echo Park and celebrating Greek family traditions, especially making “gonzas”, a simple sweet cookie his father learned to make in the Greek Navy.
From a young age, he spent summers working for his dad’s construction company, learning the business that he would eventually choose for his own career. When he was 14, Ellis declared his commitment to architecture. He earned his master’s in architecture from the University of Maryland and started his career in commercial and retail office space in downtown Washington. In 1993, he shifted his work to residential real estate, designing and building an impressive collection of custom homes in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area. He loved his work, using the spiritual principal of elevating everything you touch as he poured his talent into his creations.
Ellis was a wonderful friend and had a special group of lifelong “Bro-Friends” with whom he shared monthly meals and traveling to ski, scuba dive and explore interesting places. He had just spent Memorial Day weekend with the group, reconnecting after Covid.
Ellis and Ann met through a video dating service before virtual matchmaking was trendy. They married ten months after their first date and would have celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary in October. Their shared love grew exponentially when Elizabeth was born and again with Liam’s arrival. There was nothing more on earth Ellis loved more than being a husband and father. Listening to Elizabeth belt out Broadway show tunes and watching Liam art-making were joyful times, along with the attractive ordinary of everyday life.
One of Ellis’ greatest joys was being embraced by Ann’s large and loving family. He considered her brothers and sisters his siblings; he will be remembered fondly by their 12 nieces, 7 nephews and 22 grand nieces and nephews.
Ellis was a spiritual student; he devoted his life to God and his family, in that order. His powerful and resounding love for the Divine came rushing through him and into beautiful poems:
One Light
separate but not alone
we each burn our Light
lighting the path of others
whose Light signals our own path
fueled by our wick
stemmed from the core
the brighter our Light
the brighter of others
intertwined as the threads weaved in our wick
we are destined to burn as One
each True connection can only burn as
One
this reminder must commit
our day
our direction
our every word and deed
Amen
Theo, January 2021
A private funeral service for family will take place this week; plans for a Celebration of Life in September are underway; details to be shared on this site.
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