Gus "Kostas" Kotsakos.

Gus grew up in Argos, Greece, where he and his brother, Taso, frequently made the round trip to Athens to load up their truck with fruits and vegetables to sell in town. On one of these trips, they spotted a truck that had gone off the mountain road and was on its side. They jumped out to help, reaching in and pulling the people out to safety. He loved going back to visit Greece. Several carloads of people would make the multi-hour trip to the airport just to greet him.

In the 1970s, Gus and his wife, Anna, moved to Chicago. They worked middle-class jobs, bought a house and had three children, maintaining a close-knit family through good times and bad. Gus worked at Coca-Cola for nearly 40 years, often putting in 10-12 hour days, seven days a week. Even after work, he continued to fix cars, always having a multitude of them himself.

Gus was known for his toughness. He may not have been tall, but with big biceps, a tan, rough hands, and a booming strong voice, he was formidable. While flying a kite on the mountainside as a kid, he fell into a huge empty water tank, hit his head, and remained unconscious for ten days. He nearly died. He experienced dizziness for years afterward. Despite this, he made a full recovery. At Coca-Cola, he once cut his finger open to the bone and simply duct-taped it! About 20 years ago he had a heart attack, didn't notice, and went to work for two more days!  After that, over the years, he soldiered on through a few heart surgeries which gave him so many bonus years of life.
Gus, with his wife Anna, loved sitting outside on the front porch. They watched probably every single Greek comedy movie, especially those by Hatzihristos. Their laughter filled the living room. Gus also had a passion for Westerns and cherished his puppies, Lucky and Paris, whom he walked twice daily.

Gus faced life with no fear. When faced with tough times, he would often say: "Η ζωή αυτά έχει... Περιπέτειες", which translates to, "Life is full of adventures."

Preceded in Death by:

Wife: Anna

Siblings: Taso, Yioula & Fotini
Parents: Vaggeli & Vasiliki
Pups: Lucky & Paris

Survived by:

Children: Vicky, Angelo & Tom
Grandchildren: Lirianna & Alex

Visitation, Sunday, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Lawrence Funeral Home, 4800 N. Austin Ave. Chicago, Funeral Service, Monday, 10:00 a.m., St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church, 7373 N. Caldwell Ave., Niles. Interment to follow at Elmwood Cemetery, River Grove.