The Rev. George Kalpaxis, the longtime leader of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Highlandtown, died Saturday of complications from a recent fall. He was 89 and was visiting one of his sons in Texas.
Born in Connecticut to Greek immigrants, Father Kalpaxis became one of the first American-born Greek Orthodox priests. In 1942, he graduated from Holy Cross Theological School in Pomfret, Conn.
Soon after, he and his wife, Athena Kostas, were assigned to a church in Keene, N.H. The couple, who had three children, spent the next 30 years moving around the country.
Father Kalpaxis spent 10 years in Wilmington Del., 12 years in Houston and five years in Cherry Hill, N.J., before moving to Baltimore in 1971.
At St. Nicholas' in Highlandtown, the Kalpaxis family found a large and welcoming community of recent Greek immigrants, said his daughter, Anita Jones of Westminster. The community looked up to Father Kalpaxis as well as his family, and Ms. Jones and her siblings had to behave accordingly.
"Living in the home of a priest in the Orthodox Church, you're very much in the limelight. My parents taught us that we had to set an example," she said. "As a kid growing up, other parents would look at us and say, `You need to behave like Father George's children.'"
In Baltimore, Father Kalpaxis came to know many of the community's luminaries. Among her father's friends, Ms. Jones said, were former Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke.
Ms. Jones said her father met several presidents, including President John F. Kennedy, and at least one pope. He was also deeply involved in interfaith work when ministering in the Houston area.
"He was a person who believed that whatever faith you were was fine. He really believed that it was important to have something you believe in, a higher power," Ms. Jones said. "He taught us that, in times of crisis, if you didn't have a higher being, you would struggle."
Father Kalpaxis retired in 1991.
A viewing will be held from 10 a.m. to about 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 520 S. Ponca St., Baltimore. The Trisagion Service will begin at 7:30 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the church.
In addition to Ms. Jones, survivors include two sons, Stratton Steven Kalpaxis and Dr. James G. Kalpaxis, both of Austin, Texas. His wife died in 1984.
rona.kobell@baltsun.com
