John P. Paicos

John Peter Paicos, a longtime resident of the West Laurel area, passed away on December 20, 2017 at his home in Laurel.  He was 79. John was born on May 20, 1938 to the late Peter and Christina Paicos and grew up in Brighton, Massachusetts. He was a graduate of Boston Latin School and later attended John’s Hopkins University before joining the Army Reserves. John finished his undergraduate degree at Springfield College in 1962 and married his loving wife Despina the same year. They moved to Laurel just a few days after their wedding and began their life as newlyweds.

John became a respected teacher and administrator of the Montgomery County Public School System while simultaneously earning his Master of the Arts in Education from George Washington University. In 1991, he became a teacher at St. Vincent Pallotti High School where he taught Math, Economics, Sociology, 20th Century History, and American Government in addition to moderating the Mock Trial Club. He always said that his time teaching at Pallotti were some of the best years of his life.

John was an active member in his church, St. Matthews Orthodox Church in Columbia, MD.  He was also extremely athletic and loved to play handball with his close friends every Saturday. His favorite pastime was having a cup of coffee with his wife in the morning while reading the Washington Post together. John enjoyed watching the Redskins, Patriots, Orioles, and Red Sox with his granddaughter, and he cherished the time he was able to spend with his great-grandchildren. He touched the lives of everyone he met, and he will be truly missed.

John is survived by his devoted wife of 55 years Despina Paicos; sister-in-law Maria Kourouvasilis; daughter Tracy Eastridge; son-in-law Ronald Maumary Jr.; grandchildren Heather and Joshua; and great-grandchildren James, Jonavon, Adeline, and Ryan. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the following charity on John’s behalf:

Parkinson’s Foundation of the National Capital Area

8830 Cameron St. #201

Silver Spring, MD 20910