The Reverend Demetrios J.T. Demopulos PhD

The Reverend Demetrios J. T. Demopulos, PhD, beloved husband of Pres. Meredith Dodge Demopulos, fell asleep in the Lord the afternoon of 17 March 2012 in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His father, Theodore J. Demopulos, and brother-in-law, Louis Pignotti, predeceased him. Along with his wife, he is survived by his mother, Helen Demopulos; his sister, Patti (Demopulos) Pignotti, and her children, Andrea Pignotti and her fiancé Joe Fallat and their son Anthony; and David Pignotti; and his cousin, Sandy Harkovich. Father Demetri was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 8 June 1950 and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. After graduating with an AB in philosophy from Grinnell College (1972), he earned an MS in plant breeding at Iowa State University in Ames (1977) and a PhD in genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1985). In 1993, he received his MDiv at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. He began in the field of genetics. He served as a National Institutes of Health predoctoral trainee in the Laboratory of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1978-81) and later as a research assistant in maize genetics there (1981-84). He then worked as a faculty research associate in Drosophila genetics in the Department of Zoology at Arizona State University in Tempe (1985-86) and a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral trainee in immunogenetics at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (1986-89). In 1990, he was a postdoctoral research fellow in molecular genetics at the Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital in Boston. After His Grace, Bishop Isaiah of Denver, ordained him to the diaconate (16 January 1994) and the priesthood (17 January 1994), he continued his efforts in educating about the relationship of science, bioethics, and religion. In 1997, the John Templeton Foundation recognized him as co-winner of its Science and Religion Course Award for "Religion and Science: Time for a New Synthesis?". In 1997-98, he was the representative of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston to the Ethics Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Council of Churches on the issue of physician-assisted suicide and a member of the Ecumenical Working Group on Faith and Genetics, Commission on Prophetic Ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. From 1990 to 2004, he was a member of the Board of Advisors of the Center for Faith and Science Exchange at the Boston Theological Institute (BTI) and a member of the BTI's Science and Religion Certificate Advisory Committee representing Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He also taught as an adjunct assistant professor at Holy Cross, offering his Templeton-awarded course in religion and science (1998-2004). From 2002 until his death, he was a member of the Archdiocesan Advisory Committee on Science and Technology (New York) and beginning in 2004 through 2006, a representative of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on the National Council of Churches' committee for a policy statement in genetics. He served as a priest in his first parish, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Fitchburg, MA), from January 1994 until February 2004. He was then the assistant parish priest for Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (Nassau, The Bahamas) from February through August 2004. In September 2004, he became the parish priest at St. Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church in Santa Fe. His Eminence, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, elevated him to the Offikion of Protopresbyter on 19 July 2009, and he continued to serve St. Elias until stepping down at the end of November 2010 because of ill health. He leaves a long and well-respected body of works in genetics, religion, and bioethics, as well as a body of unpublished lectures and papers given by invitation both here and abroad. He will be mourned, but long remembered, by his many friends and colleagues. May his memory be eternal. There will be a memorial service for Father Demetri at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 308 High Street SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, at seven in the evening on Sunday, 25 March 2012. The following morning, 26 March 2012, there will be a funeral at ten at St. George, followed by his burial at Fairview Memorial Park, 700 Yale Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. There will then be a makaria at St. George, to which all are invited. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in Father Demetri's memory for a scholarship fund at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. Please send any contributions to: The Holy Metropolis of Denver, 4550 East Alameda Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80246.