Theodore Peter “Teddy” Kousoulis, age 77 years, of Readington Township, NJ, died peacefully on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at Bridgeway Care Center, Hillsborough, NJ.
Born on July 20, 1944 in Elika, Greece, son of the late Peter and Fotini Kousoulis, Teddy had emigrated first to the Bronx, NY, with little money but big dreams. He was soon introduced to, and married, his late, beloved wife, RoseMarie in 1968. They thereafter lived in South Plainfield where they had three daughters before moving to Hunterdon County, NJ to raise their family.
Son, brother, husband, father, uncle, and friend are several adjectives that can be attributed to many people, but when thinking of them with regards to Teddy, they can all be summated into one other word: genuineness.
Teddy Kousoulis was genuine and grounded in all that he did. He took his roles in life seriously, and strove to be the best in each of them, no matter how hard or simple that role might be; many would joke that raising three daughters might be hard, but to Teddy it was easy as his family life was rooted in love.
He was a proud family man and, with his wife and three daughters by his side, there was nothing that he could not accomplish. This feeling was eclipsed only by his being promoted to the title of Papoú, with his two grandsons and his granddaughter bringing a light into his world he never knew existed.
A thinker and planner in all aspects of life, Teddy worked hard to provide for his family. He often spoke like a Greek philosopher, sharing information about the past, and giving salient advice for the future.
His business acumen ensured that he would be successful in whatever endeavor he was undertaking at the time. Working in the restaurants was his passion from the time he came to the United States, and he immediately got involved in developing restaurants not only where the food was exquisite, but where it also felt like one was at home. He was formerly the proprietor of the Stelton Restaurant in Edison, NJ, and the Cokesbury Inn in Lebanon, NJ. He was known among his friends in the restaurant industry as a man who would help out others in their restaurants when they needed an experienced hand to guide them; he would ask for nothing in return but simply enjoyed seeing others succeed.
Upon retiring from the restaurant business, Teddy soon found a new passion in real estate. He was a proud and always-enthused member of the Weichert Realty team in Flemington, NJ for the past 20 years, and was well respected in the industry by both his peers and his clients.
In his free time, he loved caring for his land, plants, Christmas tree farm, and honeybees. If something was broken, Teddy would always find an inventive way to fix it himself. He loved learning new ways of doing things and was the king of DIY projects, which his daughters credit with helping show them the ‘stuff’ resilience is made from.
Hunting and fishing were also hobbies that he was passionate about and made many happy memories on the party boats off of the Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey. Of course, whenever he would visit his hometown in Elika, Greece, not a day would pass where he didn’t spend time fishing with family and friends. Teddy was also an active member of the Croton Gun Club where he could often be found volunteering for or participating in various events.
Though retired from the restaurant industry, Teddy had a passion for good food and always enjoyed sharing recipes for cooking Greek staples such as Spanakopita and Baklava. In his hometown of Greece, Teddy had an olive grove which produced olives and oil which were shipped yearly to his family in the United States. Each year, Teddy’s favorite gift to give was a bottle of his family’s olive oil to family and friends to help make each of their meals a bit more special.
A longtime and active member of St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, he could always be found at their fundraising events helping out in whatever manner was needed to support the church. Many times this would of course involve cooking for the Greek festivals and other events, which he happily did, teaching the youth of the church traditional Greek culinary skills.
Humble and simple, Teddy’s character was physically, emotionally, and mentally strong. He would always remind his daughters during their years growing up of their Spartan heritage and ancestry. This was usually done in the context of reminding them that they were and are strong, built tough, and able to conquer anything that comes their way.
It is in that same spirit that Teddy would want all reading this to remember that God gives us all inner strength and wisdom, which we must have the fortitude to develop and use, for the betterment of all peoples. Though he will be sorely missed, he lives on in each person who finds their own inner strength and uses it daily to help mankind.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, RoseMarie Edith Romagnolo Kousoulis, as well as by a sister, Efsthathia Athanasakou.
Surviving are his children, Dawn Ayotte and her husband, Jim, Marie Kousoulis and her partner, Doug Meyer, and Patti Kousoulis; his adored grandchildren, Troy James, Drew Joseph, and Kacie Rose; a sister and brother-in-law, Noula and Theodoros Kousoulis; a brother and sister-in-law, Nick and Irene Kousoulis; two nieces, Fotini and Anna; several extended family in the United States and Greece; and many dear friends.
Teddy will lie in repose on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. It is respectfully requested that masks be worn at the funeral home, church and cemetery as well as social distancing be maintained as much as possible. Your understanding and cooperation is greatly appreciated by the entire family.
The funeral liturgy performed by Fr. Anastasios Kousoulas will take place on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 beginning at Noon at St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, 85 Voorhees Corner Road, Flemington, NJ 08822 and to which all are welcome.
Burial in the family plot will follow at Prospect Hill Cemetery, 69 Capner Street, Flemington, NJ 08822.
Realizing that some may be unable to attend due to the pandemic, the visitation, funeral service and burial service on Wednesday will be live-streamed, with the stream being active starting at 11:00 a.m. To watch, please click HERE and kindly ensure you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled (if you are having issues with clicking above, please follow this link: https://livestream.com/aritonvideolive/teddy). Kindly note that the same link will be used for all three events.
You are encouraged to visit Teddy’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church at the above address. Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated by both the family and the church.