Obituary of John E. Tchounis

Tchounis, John Edward was born September 4, 1917 in New York City to Efstathios Tchounis and Alice Bertolotti Tchounis. He lived in Montclair and attended school in Montclair, eventually graduating from Montclair High School. John started making money to help his family at an early age by delivering newspapers and working as an usher in the local movie theater. He enlisted in the Army and served in Italy, France, Germany and Northern Africa during World War II. When he got out of the Army, he came home and lived with his family. After the Army, he worked for a printer before starting his career as a title searcher. He was a title searcher for 60 years. He taught his daughter Alisa the business and they worked together in the Hall of Records in Newark before retiring in 2007. He met Rose Danielian and they were married in April of 1951 in St. James R.C. Church, Totowa where he was a parishioner. They purchased a home in Totowa, where he resided until his death. He was predeceased by Rose who died in 1994. They had two children, Alisa P., born June 1953 of Totowa, and Ramona M. born November 1954, of Belleville. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Frank, Vincent and Tara Martinelli as well as a sister Christine Bennett of Florida, and a niece, Patricia Malacky. John and Rose loved to travel and they took their daughters to Italy, France, England, and a Greek cruise while they were in high school. John enjoyed reading the paper, doing crossword and word search puzzles, and playing cards. He liked to watch television and old movies, and enjoyed following the local sports teams. He enjoyed listening to music of his era. He looked forward to reading the mail, and wrote out five to six checks a month paying bills. John led a very comfortable life, was not materialistic but was blessed with a successful business and generally good health. He gained satisfaction in helping those less fortunate and was very generous sharing his blessings by donating to numerous charities. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral from the Festa Memorial Funeral Home, 111 Union Blvd., Totowa, on Saturday at 9:00 AM. Funeral Mass to follow at St. James R.C. Church, Totowa at 9:30 AM. Interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa. Friends may visit Friday 4-8 PM.