Paul Johnis
Paul Johnis passed away Wednesday, February 18th, 2015, from a sudden inoperable rupture of his esophagus, in Tampa, Florida. He was 86 years old, and is survived by his wife, Fran Johnis, biological children Steve Johnis, Mark Johnis, step children Carol Harmon, and Michael Harmon. He also has eight grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.
Paul Pappagianis was born on June 3, 1928 in Lowell, Massachusetts to an immigrant couple from Greece, who had 4 other children, Effie, Betty, Alice, and Steve. His father was John Pappagianis and his mother was Evangelia Kardaras. Paul learned English when he started kindergarten, and grew up on the tough streets of Lowell, just north of Boston. Early on, he worked in his father's barbershop, and helped his siblings tend to the garden in their yard.
After his 17th birthday he joined his friends and older brother Steve in the Army already fighting in WWII. After Basic Training, he was shipped to Hawaii along with tens of thousands of other young men preparing to invade Japan in 1945. He served 2 years and was honorably discharged.
He returned to Lowell and attended university with his older brother Steve. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering from the Indiana Institute of Technology in 1951. He worked in the Ras Tanura Refinery, Saudi Arabia from 1951 to 1953, before returning to the States. He and his brother Steve worked together for a couple of years until he met the love of his life, Frances Harmon, who was raising 2 children, Carol and Michael, from a previous marriage. Paul and Fran married in 1956. They produced 2 boys, Steve and Mark, and started their journey raising all 4 little ones. Their adventurous life together took them to South America, North Africa, Florida, Ohio, Central America, back to South America, and then finally to the Middle East. In Venezuela, Paul worked four years for the Mene Grande Oil Company in a small town named San Tome. In Tripoli, Libya he worked four years for the Oasis Oil Company. Upon returning to the USA, he worked for the City of St. Augustine for 2 years, and then Owens Illinois in Toledo, Ohio for four years. Paul and Fran then moved with Steve and Mark to Changuinola, Panama, where he worked for Chiquita Bananas, aka The United Fruit Company. Still employed by Chiquita, he moved to Golfito, Costa Rica for the next five years. From there, Paul's work took him to Caracas, Venezuela, where he was in business with the Southern Line Cleaning Company from Orlando, Florida. Michael and Steve were grown by then, and worked with Paul in Venezuela. After a national Venezuelan election, the Caracas operation was Nationalized by the new Venezuelan government, which meant Paul was out of a job. He returned to Florida, and then moved with Fran to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Fran was employed by the Saudi Aramco Oil Company and Paul worked for the Saudi Consolidated Electric Cooperative from 1980 until their retirement in 1992.
Mark worked in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia for six months in 1990 just an hour away from where Paul and Fran lived in Dhahran. Ironically, Mark worked in the very same refinery that Paul had worked in from 1951 to 1953. After Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in August and both Johnis families were evacuated to the States, Paul and Mark shared many adventurous and sometimes treacherous trips into the Saudi desert bringing supplies to the US Troops. Mark left just before the Gulf War started, but Paul stayed on. Paul braved many Scud Missile attacks in Dhahran during the Gulf War, but considered it just another adventure.
Over the years, Paul taught his children a lot of valuable lessons. He was a leader, and he led by example. He didn't have to say too much. He was a doer, and a giver. He was a generous man. He was strict, disciplined, hard-working, and compassionate. He loved Fran completely, and supported his children as only a Dad could do. Paul was a brave man who never stopped serving his family, friends, and community.
In his last few years, he struggled as Alzheimers slowly took his mind away. He knew what was happening, and fought it as hard as he could. Fran's love, compassion, and endless patience kept him safe and secure as he slowly diminished. Somehow, Paul and Fran maintained a positive attitude, always providing a caring, loving environment for their own kids, grandkids and great grandkids. All the way to the end, Paul was always more interested in others and what he could do to help them.
Thank you for reading this and honoring Paul Johnis. Please think of him, and pray for Fran Johnis, as she enters a new adventure of her own.
His memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 11:00AM.