Obituary of Bessie Meltinos

Bessie Meltinos

Bessie Meltinos passed away, age 94 on Friday evening January 7, 2022 at Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

She was born October 21, 1927, the eldest of three children, to Catherine and George Meltinos in Joliet where she grew up and spent most of her life.

Bessie was a graduate of Joliet Township High School and went on to become a secretary at the munitions arsenal in Joliet where she worked for many years and assumed positions of increasing responsibility.  When the arsenal moved to the Quad Cities, Bessie kept her seniority and relocated to Rock Island.  She retired as Chief Protocol Officer for the arsenal, a Department of Defense civilian position of great importance and responsibility.  One of her favorite assignments was working with the advance team for President Carter and First Lady Roslyn Carter to arrange their visit to the facility. Long before we knew what a “feminist” was, Bessie was quietly blazing a trail of accomplishment and independence. She was a role model for her nieces and their subsequent success.

Bessie retired at 55 and returned to Joliet to care for her mother, who was her best friend. Never one to sit still, she took on a part-time position as medical office manager and helped in a friend's floral shop. She loved to travel and was thrilled to visit Israel. She also traveled to visit family in Florida, Wisconsin, and Virginia. 

The center of Bessie’s world was All Saints Greek Orthodox Church. A lifetime member, Bessie was active in the church choir, women’s groups, governance committees, fundraisers, and more. She continued to serve at the annual Greek Food Festival well into her 80s. Bessie loved her God, her Church, and the Greek people of Joliet.

Bessie was preceded in death by her parents, George and Catherine; her sister Sophie (Anast); brother Gust and his wife Pat; and niece Melissa Paige.

Left to cherish Bessie’s memory are her niece Adrian Anast (Tim Wright), nephew Jason Anast and his wife Cleo, and their children Ryan and Melina (Bessie’s “little munchkins”), her niece Samantha Brooks and family; her dear cousins Sophie Toulon and Sylvia Smith, and her devoted and much-loved God-daughter Pat Kousanthanes.

Funeral services for Bessie will be Friday January 14, 2022 at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, 102 N. Broadway St., Joliet.  All are invited to meet at the church Friday morning from 9:30 am until services begin at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Bessie’s name can be made to All Saints Greek Orthodox Church.

For more information please call (815) 741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com