Savvas "Sam" Meleounis

1949 - 2022

Savvas (Sam) Meleounis, 72, passed away peacefully at home on March 24, 2022. He is survived by his three sons, Emanuel and wife Stephanie, Nikitas and fiancée Ashley, Dimitrios and wife Megan; and his beloved grandson Samuel. He was predeceased by his parents, Emmanuel and Dimitria Meleounis. He will be remembered by his six siblings Stathis & wife Fotini, Katerina & husband Mihalis, George & wife Viki, Konstantinos & wife Stella, Aspasia & husband Emmanuel, and Sevasti & husband Tony. He is predeceased by his ex-wife Evangelia Psillakis, and survived by wife Maria Galani and her children, George and Eleni. Savvas will be fondly remembered by fifteen nieces & nephews and family members throughout Greece, Canada, and the U.S. Savvas was born on November 1, 1949 on the island of Rhodes, Greece. After his service in the Greek military he studied to become an electrician. After finding early success in this profession, he emigrated to the United States in 1971. He established himself in Hartford, CT with the rest of his family where he discovered his entrepreneurial spirit and embodied the definition of hard work. He operated an ice cream shop, video game arcade, and helped run the family business, Pitta Gourmet. He eventually started his own business, E.S.K. Corporation, where Sam became well known throughout the greater Hartford area for renting out pool tables, juke boxes, pinball machines, and arcade games to various businesses. Savvas remained an avid participant in his Greek community. He was a proud member of St. George Greek Orthodox Church and annually donated all the palms for Palm Sunday. Throughout the 1990's Savvas was also a manager of the Hartford Hellenic soccer team. Most of all, Savvas was a man for others. He truly believed in helping others not for recognition, but because it was simply the right thing to do. This kindness and his love for the city of Hartford will be what he is remembered for most by the countless lives he touched. His greatest joy in life was spending time with his three boys. He will rest easy knowing he has instilled his values into all three of them. Family and friends are invited to call on Tuesday, March 29, from 5:00 – 8:00 PM in The Ahern Funeral Home, 180 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, (The Trisagion Service will be at 6:30 PM). Funeral services for Savvas will be held at 11:00 AM Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Hartford, CT. He will be laid to rest at Cedar Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hellenic Studies PAIDEIA, 28 Dog Lane, Storrs, CT 06268 or by visiting www.paideiausa.org. To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.ahernfuneralhome.com.