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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of Michael George Cantonis of Tarpon | ||||||
4 | Springs, Florida, formerly of Park Ridge, who passed away on | ||||||
5 | November 17, 2009; and
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6 | WHEREAS, He was born on the Island of Symi, Greece on May | ||||||
7 | 25, 1915, to George Michael and Chrysanthi Giallourakis | ||||||
8 | Cantonis; at the age of 17, Michael left Greece for the United | ||||||
9 | States, arriving through Ellis Island in 1934; he first worked | ||||||
10 | for his uncles, The Giallourakis Brother's Sponge Company, in | ||||||
11 | Florida before moving to New York in 1938; soon after moving to | ||||||
12 | New York, Michael borrowed $1,000 and founded ACME Sponge & | ||||||
13 | Chamois Company, Inc.; in 1947 He married the love of his life, | ||||||
14 | Anastasia Harras, and they moved to Chicago; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The couple settled in Park Ridge, where they | ||||||
16 | raised their three children, George, James, and Cynthia; in | ||||||
17 | 1977, after 30 years in Chicago, he moved his company to Tarpon | ||||||
18 | Springs, Florida, to be adjacent to the location of the | ||||||
19 | existing chamois manufacturing plant and natural sponge | ||||||
20 | operation; until his final days, he remained active in ACME and | ||||||
21 | also served as Chairman of the Board of the Cantonis Company; | ||||||
22 | in addition to his roles as founder and president of ACME and | ||||||
23 | Chairman of the Board of the Cantonis Company, his other |
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1 | career-long commitment was to several philanthropic | ||||||
2 | organizations; and
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3 | WHEREAS, His many philanthropic interests included an | ||||||
4 | endowment fund to Hellenic College Holy Cross for a Chair in | ||||||
5 | Byzantine Studies; an endowment fund at the University of | ||||||
6 | Florida in Gainesville for the Department of Greek Studies; | ||||||
7 | Morton Plant Hospital; Berkeley Preparatory School; Tarpon | ||||||
8 | Springs Public Library; Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital; Ruth | ||||||
9 | Eckerd Hall; UPARC; The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate | ||||||
10 | in Istanbul, Turkey; the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in New | ||||||
11 | York; St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago; and St. | ||||||
12 | Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of Tarpon Springs; he | ||||||
13 | established the Michael G. Cantonis Sanctuary Fund at St. | ||||||
14 | Michael the Archangel in Lecanto, in order to build a new | ||||||
15 | church and community center; he made numerous other donations | ||||||
16 | to churches, hospitals, schools, and art centers throughout the | ||||||
17 | United States as well as donations to his native Island of | ||||||
18 | Symi, Greece; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Throughout his lifetime, he received the | ||||||
20 | following recognitions and honors; Officion (Award) of Archon | ||||||
21 | Ieromnimon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate by the late Patriarch | ||||||
22 | Demetrios; Medal of the Holy Cross of the Crusaders of the Holy | ||||||
23 | Sepulchre by the late Patriarch of Jerusalem, Venediktos; Gold | ||||||
24 | Medal of the 50th Anniversary of the St. Andrews Community of |
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1 | Chicago, where he served for 24 years as Treasurer, Vice | ||||||
2 | President, President, and Chairman of the Board; Declaration as | ||||||
3 | a Great Benefactor and the Key to the City of Tarpon Springs | ||||||
4 | Award; Ellis Island Medal of Honor; and numerous awards from | ||||||
5 | the University of Florida; he was an Archon of the Ecumenical | ||||||
6 | Patriarchate in America, a member of Leadership 100 of the | ||||||
7 | Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and an Executive committee member | ||||||
8 | of the Archdiocesan Council; and
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9 | WHEREAS, In 1946, he was raised a Master Mason in New York | ||||||
10 | City before transferring to Hellenic Lodge No. 1084 A.F & A.M. | ||||||
11 | in Chicago, a 63 year Mason; he was also a perpetual member in | ||||||
12 | the York Rite bodies and Medinah Shrine in Chicago; and
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13 | WHEREAS, He was predeceased by his younger brothers, Ted G. | ||||||
14 | Cantonis and Constantine G. Cantonis; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Michael Cantonis is survived by his loving and | ||||||
16 | devoted wife of 63 years, Anastasia Harras; his three children | ||||||
17 | and their spouses, George and Maria Cantonis, James Cantonis, | ||||||
18 | and Cynthia Cantonis Heller and Steve Heller; his four | ||||||
19 | grandsons, Michael, Spiro, Matthew, and Leigh; his two | ||||||
20 | granddaughters, Anastasia and Alexandra; and his younger | ||||||
21 | brother, Carl G. Cantonis; therefore, be it
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22 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL |
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1 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | ||||||
2 | his family and friends, the passing of Michael Cantonis; and be | ||||||
3 | it further
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4 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
5 | presented to the family of Michael Cantonis as a symbol of our | ||||||
6 | sincere sympathy.
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