Chris Argentos

Chris Argentos, our Barba Kitcho (Uncle Chris) 94, of Oakland, California, peacefully passed away on October 6, 2023.  

Chris was born on February 21, 1929, to Peter and Mable Argentos in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The son of a Greek immigrant, Chris learned to speak Greek before he learned English.  He spoke fluent Greek well into his 90s.  His Greek heritage was something that he was passionate about and proud of.  His dad owned a shoe shop in downtown Salt Lake and young Chris spent many hours helping to shine shoes alongside his dad.  His love for singing blossomed during his childhood; he had wonderful memories of singing with his mom from a very young age.  

After Chris graduated from South High in 1946, he enrolled at the University of Utah.  Planning on becoming a pilot, he enlisted in the Navy, but was drafted into the Army before he was able to join the Navy.  While serving in the Army, Chris was the Executive Secretary to the Commanding General of the Far East during the Korean War.  Chris was privy to many secret communications between the General and President Eisenhower! 

Chris served his two years in the Army.  He then returned to Utah and re-enrolled at the University of Utah, earning his bachelor's degree in business.  Chris was involved in many activities during his college years.  He met lifelong friends at his fraternity Sigma Pi, held leadership roles in DeMolay, and played lead roles in many musicals. He also sang with choirs, chorus' and various quartets for many years in Salt Lake.  One such quartet was named Three Kings and a Queen and together they recorded jingles for commercials!  

Chris left Salt Lake and headed west to California in 1961.  He landed in San Francisco, working in both banking and insurance industries.  In 1968, Chris began a new adventure that became his career; he began to teach business to high school students at The California School for the Deaf in Berkeley. While Chris was very knowledgeable in business, he started on day one with no experience in sign language.  The first few days of teaching were a little rocky as the students had a heyday teaching him all the wrong signs!  He would still chuckle when he told the stories of what he thought he was signing versus what he was actually signing.  Thankfully, he took night classes to learn sign language and quickly became proficient. He was always one of the most popular teachers, engaging the students with his quick wit and fun personality.  He was passionate about teaching for over 24 years. 

 Chris was always on the go!  With summers off, Chris planned adventures around the world.  He had such a passion for travelling.  At last count, the number of countries that Chris visited was over 80!  He had so many stories, enjoyed making memories with the friends he travelled with, and made new friends on every trip. His home was filled with amazing decorations from all over.  Every piece of decor had a story associated with it.  His love of photography paired beautifully with his travels.  He had many unique photos displayed all over his home.  Every picture told a unique story of the people, the culture, and the countries that he visited.  Chris' favorite place to visit was of course Greece, developing close relationships with the Argentos relatives in Athens and Argos.  

But coming home was always the best part, as Chris’ favorite city was San Francisco!   He would often tell us it was the most beautiful city in the world.  Despite the tragedy of losing his home in the Oakland fire of 1991, our Chris was resilient.  Always a fighter, he built a beautiful new life from those ashes that was filled with love, laughter and song.  Whether singing for many years with the Blackhawk chorus, playing golf with the Greek Golf Club, or enjoying meals, walks and holidays with his Buena Vista neighbors, Chris had friendships that felt like family.  

Chris was known by all who knew him for his poems and odes. His yearly Christmas card was always a poem telling of his travels, activities, and love for life.  His odes for every occasion were welcomed and expected at every function and Chris would not disappoint!   

Chris' talent for stained-glass was nothing short of amazing.  His home was filled with exquisite masterpieces, and he created thousands of unique pieces for friends and family.  From the smallest hummingbird to 6-foot window creations, Chris poured his heart into each piece. 

Of all of the tributes that we share about Chris- to his family, he was our beloved Barba Kitcho (an affectionate term in Greek for Uncle Chris).  We have many cherished memories of BK.  He always made coming to Salt Lake a priority during his summer and Christmas breaks while teaching. We would get together at our Yiya and Papou's house for Greek dinner and hear tales about his travels and he in turn would always ask about our hobbies and lives.  Over the years, we loved visiting him in his beautiful Oakland home.  We enjoyed his company, stories and songs, and of course making numerous trips to Fenton's ice cream shop.  Our uncle loved his ice cream; he could devour a banana split like none other!  One of our most cherished memories was when he took his two nieces and grandniece to Greece in 2015.  At 86 years old, our uncle not only kept up on all the tours, but he beat us on the trail in Delphi- and he never let us forget it! We treasured the times we were able to attend his Christmas open house and Christmas concert with the chorus. He loved sharing us with his Oakland family, ever the proud uncle.  The times that our uncle was able to join us for our family Bear Lake trips were always filled with laughter and love.  Barba Kitcho always took an interest in each one of our lives, actively listening, engaging and offering love, support and wise advice.  We will miss our visits with him, miss enjoying the amazing sunsets with him from his terrace, and miss our dear Barba Kitcho.  

We are thankful for his life and invite you to join us in remembering a truly remarkable man. 

Chris is preceded in death by his parents Peter and Mable Argentos, and his brother George Argentos.  He is survived by his nephew Brad Argentos, his niece Lori Cubbage (Kevin), his niece Michelle Jorgensen (Dale),  his grandnieces and grandnephews Lindsey and Ryan Cubbage, Emma Seynaeve (Josh) and Adam Jorgensen.  

A graveside memorial will be held at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 16, 2023, at 1pm.  

Chris' Christmas open house was something that he looked forward to every year for decades.  He would begin decorating in early November, so he had plenty of time to display his many ornaments and Christmas decor from around the world, as well as his dozens of beautiful stained glass Christmas pieces.  

We have decided to honor his traditional Christmas open house one final time this year.  This tribute and celebration of life for our dear uncle and friend will be held on December 3^rd from 1 to 4, at Chris' residence in Oakland, with a memorial service beginning at 2:00.  We look forward to sharing stories and raising a glass in remembrance of our delightful Chris.