Achilles "Mike" Gabriel Pappas - Obituary

chilles Gabriel Pappas, also known as Mike, Daddy, Παππού and Mr. Mike was born May 10, 1928 in Washington, D.C. to George and Aphrodite Pappas. He was predeceased by his parents, four sisters, Vasiliki, Frances, Mary and Helen and his wife Rose. His parents were born and raised in Υιανινα, Greece in the village of Δολιανα. The family spent a summer in Greece when Achilles was 8 years old. Through the years he always kept in touch with his family in the village. More recently he went to Greece in 2018 with his daughter Costa and granddaughter Rosemary. That was a trip of a lifetime for him and was hoping to get back to Greece one more time before he passed. Achilles’ parents started the family business, Olympia Bakery in 1925 in S.W. Washington. The family moved to Capital Heights, Maryland and bought a farm in Seabrook, Maryland that was used for family outings and church picnics. The family eventually moved back to Southeast Washington where Achilles resided until his passing. At 19 years old he boxed at the Boys Club at night and competed as an amateur boxer at the Uline Arena where he was considered an amateur golden glove boxer. He joined the National Guard in 1948 and was in the Air Force in 1950-1952 stationed in Wilmington, Delaware where he went to Bakers school at the New Castle Air Force Base. As a young man Achilles’ pride and joy was his first car that he bought with his own money a big red Buick. His mother was not happy with the car he chose which eventually led him to a speeding ticket or two. Soon after he bought the Buick he decided to take his friends Nick Deoudes and Jim Stratus out for a ride. His friends said “let’s see how fast she can go Mike”. He did show them how fast she could go and ended up in jail for speeding and had to call his sisters to bail him out. Achilles worked in the family business from a young child until his mother passed away and it was sold in 1982. The bakery did very well for many years until the 1968 riots when many small corner grocery stores and restaurants went out of business. The larger grocery stores had their own bakeries so the need for smaller bakeries was much less. After the bakery was sold, Achilles started a hot dog cart business which eventually led to becoming a permit processor which he continued to do for the rest of his life. Achilles met Rose Kalivretenos in 1955 at a “house party”. They were married June 10th, 1956 and they had three children Maria, George and Constantina. They lived and raised their children on Branch Avenue in Southeast Washington where the entire Pappas family lived, better known as the “Southeast Crew”. The Kalivretenos family lived in Northeast Washington where many memorable family gatherings were held. All of the Pappas and Kalivretenos family cousins attended the Reverend Thomas Daniel Greek Orthodox Parochial School. Rose passed away in March 2017. Achilles was a lifetime supporter of the Washington Redskins. On Sundays he would be dressed in burgundy and gold from head to toe, sitting on the couch cheering his team on to victory. When baseball returned to Washington he loved to watch the Nationals and would go to two to three games a year, even this season. Bringing the family together for special occasions was always something he looked forward to, whether it was meeting at a restaurant, having a birthday celebration or going to a Nationals game. Although he was given many health related challenges he always had a positive outlook on life. Being an amputee was never an excuse for him to sit and do nothing. When he was 80 years old his doctor asked him “don’t you think it’s time to retire?” Achilles replied “What for?” On Sunday, December 11, 2022 of Washington, DC; beloved husband of the late Rose Kalivretenos Pappas; father of Maria (Patrick) Skipton, George (Peggy) Pappas and Constantina Pappas; grandfather of Joshua, Andrew and Rosemary Skipton; great-grandfather of Grace Willis; brother of the late Helen and Vasiliki Pappas, Frances (Christy) Papageorge and Mary West; uncle of the late Nicholas Versis. Also survived by many nieces, nephews, family and friends. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 20 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the KALAS FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY, 6160 Oxon Hill Rd., Oxon Hill, MD. The funeral service will be held at Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 721 Norwood Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20905 at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. Interment will immediately follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery, 4111 Pennsylvania Ave., Suitland, MD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the church.