Irene

Kosartes

KOSARTES Irene, (nee Janow), 90, of Boynton Beach, Florida (formerly of Fort Lee, NJ) and beloved wife of the late Christo Kosartes (April 20, 2008) passed away peacefully on July 19, 2014. Irene grew up in New York City, born February 20, 1924 in the Bronx, and was a graduate of Washington Irving High School and their dressmaking program located in lower Manhattan. During World War 2 she worked for Fairchild Aviation in Connecticut where she contributed to the war effort by using the sewing skills and precision she garnered as a seamstress to make printed circuit boards, her work was considered invaluable. After the War she worked as an assistant designer for Leonard Arkin, a company that specialized in designing cocktail and party dresses, and worked directly with the designer Chester Weinberg. Soon thereafter she married her husband, Christo, on May 9, 1948, and they settled in Fort Lee, New Jersey where they raised their three children. She was always enthusiastically involved in church activities, a commitment that was an ever-present factor in her life. She enjoyed gardening, entertaining, and sharing the Greek culture and her home cooked meals and famous "baklava" with family and friends. She was a parishioner of St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church of West Palm Beach for over 20 years, and prior to that she was a parishioner and one of the founding members of St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tenafly, New Jersey. She sang in the church choir for over 20 years and was also a dedicated member of the Philophtochos Association at St Catherine's where she remained an active member. She will be remembered for her love and devotion to her family. Surviving are her three children, Joanne and her husband Nick of Chicago, Il, John and his wife Jeanne of Cashiers, NC and Cynthia and her husband Mark of Cliffside Park, NJ, one grandson, Christos, step-grandchildren, Lara, Veronica and Nick and step great-grandchildren Sam and Zoe. She was predeceased by her brothers, Nick and John Janow, and has several surviving nieces and nephews. A Funeral Service will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Theologian on Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 11:30 am. Following the funeral a burial service will be conducted at George Washington Memorial Cemetery, Paramus, NJ. Relatives and friends are invited to pay their last respects at the A.K. Macagna Funeral Home 495 Anderson Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ on Monday, July 21, 2014 between 4 and 8 pm.