Costas Charles Tassis

COSTAS CHARLES TASSIS

1919 - 2010

Costas Charles Tassis, 90, of El Centro passed away on March 3, 2010 of natural causes with his daughter by his side while recuperating from pneumonia at a rehabilitation facility near her home. Loving husband of the late Hazel Ruth Cox Tassis who passed away on December 6, 2008 after 66 years of marriage, his daughter believes a broken heart contributed to the cause of death as Costas continued to grieve the loss of his beloved wife. Costas, known by many as Charles, was born on April 11, 1919 in Manchester, NH to John Tassis and Evelyn Grandbois.
Costas enlisted in the National Guard in 1938. After World War II was declared, he was indicted into the U.S. Army in 1940, training at various bases. He married his wife, Hazel, on December 5, 1942 in Sebastopol, MS before being shipped overseas where his outfit engaged in battles in Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe. He was honorably discharged in 1945 when the war ended.
Costas received his Bachelor's of Science Degree with a major in Industrial Education from Mississippi State College in Starkville, MS in 1951 and his Masters of Education Degree in School Administration in 1953.
Beginning in 1951, Costas taught at various high schools before joining the Imperial Unified School District in 1959, retiring in 1989. For most of his 30 years of service with the District, he taught business courses at Imperial High School before accepting the challenge to move to Frank Wright Intermediate School in 1974. Teaching was his passion. Although 70 when he retired, he continued to substitute for two additional years. He always thought he retired too early and felt there were still students who could benefit from his teaching.
Costas loved gardening and was proud that he had the best lawn in the neighborhood. He regularly enjoyed comparative shopping at every grocery store he could find. He belonged to the Retired Teachers Association and Veterans of Foreign War in El Centro, and maintained his Master Mason status with the Grand Lodge in MS. He was a member of Central Baptist Church in El Centro since 1962.
His only child, Deborah Ann and her husband, Wayne Flores of Santa Maria, CA and two sisters, Therese Tassis of Concord, NH and Lorraine Rousseau of Manchester, NH survive Costas.
Funeral services including military honors will be Saturday, March 20 at 10 a.m. at Hems Brothers Chapel in El Centro. Private disposition will occur at a later date.