Constantine "Gus" Economos

2 Weeks, Then 23 Years

On a memorial Web page for Constantine Economos one message posted by a former colleague summed up all the others: "When he walked in the room, everything got funnier and better."

A partner at Sandler O'Neill & Partners, Mr. Economos, 41, known as Gus, was on the parish council at his church, left work early to coach the football team at Xavier High School in Manhattan and planned excursions for his children, Constantine and Katherine.

He met his wife, Audrey, in high school in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn — across the street from where the family now lives. At first, she would only date him for two weeks, saying she was too young to date longer; at the end of two weeks, he asked, "Can I have two more?"

As it turned out, the couple shared 23 years — not enough, but as she said in her husband's eulogy: "Gus didn't live a short life, he lived a condensed life. He lived life to the fullest, and I believe he has left us with large shoes to fill."