Leon "Lee" William Vaseliades, of Houston, Texas, passed away on the 31st of March 2014, at the age of 81. He was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina on the 18th of November 1932, to Eleni and William Vaseliades. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his father and mother and law, Peter and Tessie Karakitsos. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Joan Karakitsos Vaseliades of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by his son, William Lee Vaseliades and his wife Rosemary of Corpus Christi, Texas; his daughter Eleni Vaseliades Jankosky and her husband Joe of Los Angeles, California; grandchildren Joanna Lee Vaseliades, Leon Peter Vaseliades and Michael Leonidas Jankosky; his sister Maria Papadopoulos of Houston, Texas; his two brothers Achilles and Constantine Vaseliades of Spartanburg, S.C.; his sister in law and her husband, Janet and John Conomos of Pittsburgh, PA, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Lee graduated Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt University in 1957, earning his undergraduate and law degrees simultaneously. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant at Ft. Meade, Maryland in the Military Intelligence and Judge Advocate General's Office. In 1959, he began work in Washington, D.C. as senior trial attorney in the tax division of the United States Department of Justice. In 1967 he moved his family to Houston, Texas, where he practiced law in real estate, tax and banking until his retirement in the mid 1990's. During his career, he was admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the State of Texas, the State of South Carolina, the District of Columbia, and the United States Court of Military Appeals. He was also a member of the American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Texas Association of Bank Council, the Houston Bar Association and Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
During his retirement, he enjoyed taking long walks with his grandson, Peter, and eating dinner with his family every Sunday afternoon. He was a man of honesty and integrity and strived to pass those qualities on to his children and grandchildren. His quiet, but strong presence, will be greatly missed.
Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o'clock this afternoon until seven o'clock this evening, Wednesday the 2nd of April, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston, where the Trisagion Prayers will commence at seven o'clock.
The funeral service is to be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Thursday, the 3rd of April, at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3511 Yoakum Boulevard in Houston, where the Cathedral Clergy are to officiate.
Pallbearers are L. Peter Vaseliades, Joe Jankosky, Dean Papadopoulos, William Papadopoulos, Alexander Papandreou, Thomas Johnson, Costa Kouzounis, and John Cannon.
Honorary pallbearers are John Conomos, Constantine Vaseliades, Achilles Vaseliades, William R. Wallace and Stuart Hoff.
The interment will follow via an escorted cortege, at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.
In lieu of customary remembrances, memorials in memory of Leon William Vaseliades may be directed to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3511 Yoakum Blvd, Houston, TX 77006. -
