Michael John Tsapos MD

(06/29/1929 – 09/16/2015) Age-86

On Spetember 16, 2015, Dr. Michael John Tsapos fell asleep in the Lord, on the blessed name day of the Great martyr, St. Efimia.

He was the beloved husband of Maria Tsapos, loving father of his four children, John, Effie, Kathy, and Michael II, as well as the loving and highly respected Pappou of 8 grandchildren: Michael, Alexandros, George, Emmanuel, Maria, Annamaria, Luke, and Christina.

Michael was born in Athens, Greece in 1929. He was raised amid the uncertainty and turmoil of World War II-Era Greece, enduring the economic hardship and perilous times of both the German occupation of Greece and the Greek Civil War. By age 10, as the second oldest child, he was already hard at work, helping his Father provide for and support a family of eight. By 1956, he had overcome the struggles of a challenging and meager upbringing, to receive his medical degree at the University of Athens in Greece, where he graduated at the top of his class.

In 1958, he came to the United States for his medical internship and residency, and received his specialty in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Michael met his soul mate and wife of 54 years, Maria Themis Petalis, in nearby Gary, Indiana in 1961. They were married soon after on November 12, 1961.

Dr. Tsapos was honored in receiving his fellowship from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (F.A.C.O.G.) in 1972. He held his private practice in Annandale, VA and Woodbridge, VA with privileges in both Fairfax and Potomac Hospitals for 35 years.

He and his wife resided in Annandale, VA for 50 years. Michael and Maria were members of Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Falls Church, VA, St.’s Peter and Paul in Frederick, MD and St. Theodore Greek Orthodox church in Lanham MD, and later, members of the Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County, VA as well.

He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, compassionate brother, uncle, Godfather, Father-in-Law, and friend to all. He was an eternal optimist, who kept life in perpetual perspective, with his sharp, subtle sense of humor, sublime intellect, and pragmatic sense of self-awareness. His generosity of spirit, soft-spoken, humble nature, and depth of character was uncommon. He shared his spiritual strength and worldly wisdom with all who were blessed in knowing him. He was a rare gem, a truly exceptional man, whose kind and noble spirit will never be forgotten by those whose lives he touched. May God rest his precious soul, and may his memory be eternal.