Chris Steve Zanis fell asleep in the Lord on Father's Day, June 21, 2009, at home.
He was born April 11, 1948, in Spokane, Wash., to the Rev. Fr. Steve Zanis and Presvytera Maria. Chris was raised with strong church tradition in Washington, Tennessee and Chicago, before the family settled in Geneva, Ill., where the Fr. Steve founded St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church in Aurora and served for many years. In 1953, the Zanis family started American Church Supply, a company that still provides Orthodox vestments and altar accessories to churches across the country. Chris assisted his father in the company while studying business at Loyola University, and later Sewanee.
Chris was a very intelligent man and an avid reader, particularly of religious books and the lives of the saints. He was an active member of the business community of Maple Park for many years, where he regularly attended village board and police commission meetings. He helped rewrite commission laws, zoning laws and policies concerning Maple Park's water treatment plant. He had many friends in politics and law in Kane and DeKalb counties. Shortly before his death, Chris was appointed to the Maple Park Library Board. He was a caring, generous man who could make you smile and make you feel good.
Chris Zanis is survived by his loving wife, Barbara; sons, Jon and A.J.; and four siblings, Matrona, Irene, Steve and Greg Zanis, and their families. In DeKalb, he will be missed by his aunt, Anna Halikias, and cousins, Jimmy and Mickey. Other survivors include cousins, Athena and Jimmy in Montana and Tennessee, Uncle Stanley in Illinois and Aunt Mary in Washington.
Chris is being welcomed to eternal paradise by his parents and grandparents.
Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 30, at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 320 S. Second St., DeKalb. The funeral service will follow immediately at 11 a.m. Internment will take place at Willwood Burial Park in Rockford.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Zanis Family Trust Fund at Old Second Bank in Maple Park. May the memory of Chris Steve Zanis be eternal.
Arrangements were entrusted to Ronan-Moore-Finch Funeral Home, 310 Oak St., DeKalb, IL 60115; 815-758-3841. To send an online condolence, visit www.ronanmoorefinch.com.
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