John George Mavroides fell asleep Thursday October 3, 2019.

He was the husband of the late Jean Cadwallader (Porter) Mavroides who died in 2000. They had been married for 49 years. 

Born, raised and educated in Ipswich, John was the son of the late George Anagnostis and Kyriaki (Georgountzos) Mavroides.

After graduating from high school, John attended the Engineering School of Tufts University and graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering, Magna Cum Laude. While at Tufts, he worked for the U.S. Coast Guard and Geodetic Service as an air Photographic Observer aboard the survey ship, Lydonia, which was charting the US coastal waters of Maine.

During WWII, John served in the U.S. Navy as Lieutenant Senior Grade aboard the seaplane tender USS Floyds Bay, in the Asia-Pacific and China Theatre as part of Fleet Air Wing One. His duties included being the Radar, Sonar and Radio officer as well as a Communications and CIC (Combat Information Center) Watch officer. After WWII, he joined the U.S. Navy underwater sound laboratory in New London, CT as project engineer in the development of electro-acoustical devices for the detection of submarines and in the development of an underwater telephone.

In 1949, John attended Brown University, where he earned an MS and PhD in physics. He was an RBG Fellow. After graduating from Brown University, Dr. Mavroides joined the research staff at Lincoln Laboratory, MIT, where he spent 32 years doing research on solid state materials. He published over 50 articles and presented his work in numerous conferences and lectures both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Mavroides, a Greek Orthodox Christian, was a supporting member of the Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) which was founded in 1987 as an independent educational organization. He, and his late wife Jean, were among the founders of the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lexington, serving on the first parish council. He also was an early sponsor of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery, in Jamaica Plain.

John and Jean lived in Lexington, for 30 years, raising their two sons George and Christopher. After his retirement, John and Jean moved south, first to Yarmouth Port, and then to Tequesta, FL. After Jean’s death, John moved to Okeechobee, FL to live with his physician son, Christopher and his wife, Bonnie. While there, John belonged to the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox church in Fort Pierce, FL. He also served as a consultant to his friend Metropolitan Archbishop Haralambos of the Holy Ukrainian Orthodox church in exile.

John is survived by his two sons, George J. and his wife, Sally of South Yarmouth, and Christopher and his wife, Bonnie of Okeechobee, FL; nine grandchildren, Jessica, Nicholas, Kelly, Alexis, Andrea, Tristan, Heather, Corissa and her husband, John, and Scott and his wife, Sarah; and five great grandchildren, Shelby, Peyton, Ethan, Teagan and Logan.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday October 19 in St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church, 1130 Falmouth Rd., Centerville.

Interment will follow in Ancient Cemetery, Ancient Way, Yarmouth Port, where his dearest parents, sister, Anna, and wife, Jean already are at rest.

Visiting hours will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday October 18 in the Hallett Funeral Home, 273 Station Ave., South Yarmouth.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.

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