Spyro Paxinos
September 18, 1937 - August 25, 2020 San Jose
Spyro Theodore Paxinos passed away on August 25, 2020, surrounded by his family after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He is survived by his devoted wife, Esther, daughters Ellen and Christine, granddaughters Nina, Eva, Ana, and Ani, sons-inlaw Rainer Cvillink and Dan Maruccia, and brothers Kosta and Yiorgo. He is preceded in death by his beloved sister, Nina.
Spyro was born in 1937 on the island of Ithaka in Greece. In 1953, after severe earthquakes decimated his home in the frail post-war country, Spyro left Greece to find work. Just shy of his 16th birthday, he traveled to Zimbabwe, where he worked as a server in a café. From Africa, Spyro journeyed to his sister in Melbourne, Australia, and worked at his uncles’ fruit shop and eventually owned and operated a milk bar. In Australia, he met Esther, the love of his life, who was studying at the university. Not having finished high school, he was unable to study in Australia. Encouraged by his brother Yiorgo who was studying at the University of California, Berkeley, he applied to immigrate to the United States. His visa was granted in 1965, and he joined his two brothers in San Francisco. Esther arrived in 1967, they married, and for the next 53 years, remained inseparable. Spyro attended night school while working as a vacuum salesman in his brother Kosta’s shop. In just 27 months, he not only obtained a high school diploma, but graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He moved his family to San Jose and found work as an engineer at DCA, (later Trio Tech), a reliability testing laboratory serving the aerospace industry. Spyro eventually acquired the lab, now known as General Test Laboratory (GTL), and served as its President and CEO until his retirement in 2002.
Spyro was extensively involved in the Greek community in the Bay Area. He served on the Parish Council at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose and was a founder of both its Greek School and the Democritus Society. In later years, he was one of the founding members of the Elios Society. Spyro was also a 32nd degree Mason, a Shriner, and a past master of the Mountain View Masonic Lodge.
A philanthropist particularly devoted to Lefki, the village where he was born, Spyro was recently honored and celebrated for his role in restoring the village church and renovating the school to create a community venue for the village.
Spyro was happiest in Koutoupi, his home by the sea on Ithaka, Greece. Once retired, he spent six months of the year there, hosting a seemingly endless stream of friends and family from around the world. He tended to his vineyard and winery in Lefki and was known for legendary parties where everyone on the island was invited.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, burial services were limited to immediate family. A celebration of his life will follow once restrictions are lifted. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Spyro’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (https://www.michaeljfox.org), or to the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, CA (https://saintnicholas.org).