Sitheris Vasiliou Chebithes

(May 6, 1943 - January 21, 2018)

Si Chebithes was born in Washington, District of Columbia, on May 6, 1943 to Vasilios I. Chebithes and Ann Batlis Chebithes. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, and his law degree from Western State University. On May 6, 1976 he was admitted to The State Bar of California, and since then he was an attorney practicing in Orange County, California. He passed away suddenly on January 21, 2018 due to a brain aneurysm. He was 74 years old.

He enjoyed sailing and Catalina Island was a favorite place for him to visit. Si followed in his father's footsteps with an interest in the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA). He was a District 20 Governor of AHEPA in 2000-2001. He was initiated on October 19, 1982 in the Hesperia Chapter #152 in Los Angeles, California. He was involved with the first AHEPA Hellenic float in the 1999 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. His niece Evan Hutchinson of Maple Glen, Pennsylvania, daughter of his sister Tracie, was one of the float riders.

Si was a member of the Oinoe Chapter #14 of the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood. His father was born in Icaria, Greece, and was instrumental in that organization's growth in the formative years.

He is survived by his wife Brett Chebithes, sisters Stamatia Chebithes and Efstratia (Tracie) Hutchinson, nephew Brett Hutchinson and niece Evan Hutchinson. Services will be private. A celebration of life will be held at a future date.

A REMEMBRANCE of Sitheris Chebithes by Jon Wisman:

The Grim Reaper keeps harvesting my closest school buddies and I’m not toughening up. He took Larry Wade long ago, then Austin DeWilde, Bobby Thomas, Mike Dillon, Tony McKinnon, and now Sither Chebithes.

Sither and I lived just a few blocks apart. We often walked together to Leland, taking a path that took us down to railroad tracks at the bottom of a ravine and then up the other side to school. We met up for football (I especially remember mudball and snowball) and tennis at Lynbrook Elementary playground. We were both mechanically handy and one of our projects was mounting motors on bikes that we rode about until the police put an end to it. But we were most gifted at avoiding studying and just goofing off.

One of our biggest adventures was a bike trip to my grandparents in the Shenandoah Valley. It was a few weeks before we were to start our first year at BCC and we wanted to toughen up for varsity football. We launched at 4 a.m., saddlebags filled with beer. The police stopped us in Arlington and told us we couldn’t continue without lights, fortunately not uncovering our booze stash. They drove off and we continued. We were proud to climb a small mountain on our primitive 3-speed bikes without stopping. Going down the other side into the Shenandoah Valley, Sither had a blowout, and quite justifiably yelled, Ow F….! within easy earshot of a women outside a station across the road where we would need ask to use the air pump. We had taken a spare tire and tube, and once changed, with great embarrassment we requested use of the air pump.

Family-wise, Sither had it rough. His parents had come from one of the Greek Isles and both died when he and his two-year-older sister, Stamitia, were quite young, their father while we were at Leland. Many of us attended the Greek Orthodox funeral. Sither was an easy-going, really nice guy. My parents were very fond of him and he often had dinner with us. But I saw him little after university years. I only had the privilege of getting together and partying with him (and on one visit with his lovely wife Brett) when he came a couple of times for reunions. We had a pact that we’d join forces should either of us be near the other’s turf. It was more-or-less presumed that it’d happen sooner or later. It didn’t. Damn!

My heart goes out to Brett and family, as well as all those who had the privilege of knowing and caring for this wonderful human being.

A REMEMBRANCE of Sitheris Chebithes by Jan Tupper Kearney:

I fell in love with Sither in the 5th grade. He looked so great in that cub scout uniform! The royal blue shirt and the yellow bandana!

In the 6th grade we started having "kissing parties." The teachers got wind of it, and called in the parents to discuss the situation. My mom laughed at them.

I remember dancing close to slow songs like "In the Still of the Night," or "I want you, I need you, I love you."

All the boys seemed to use the same hair tonic, was it "English Leather?" It seemed to have aphrodisiacal powers.

I remember some difficulty kissing on the lips when Sither and I both got braces at the same time, and the wires got in the way.

We were on again off again through the years, but stayed friends always.

I remember Sither talking about Catalina Island, and how he wanted to take me there one day. I was so happy to read that he did go there eventually.

In later years, he visited me in CA a few times, and struck up a great connection with my daughter Patricia, and even gave her some books to read, about love and relationships.

Our neighborhood in Bethesda was straight out of the Dick and Jane books. "Run Sally run!" We walked to and from school. We rode out bikes all over the place. We probably didn't know then how lucky we were. Maybe now we do know!

Classmate Ron Watkins remembers Sither:

I was saddened to learn of the loss of another childhood friend We spent many hours playing ping pong in my basement And roaming the neighborhood on our bicycles. From Lynnbrook Elementary our friendship developed and we Experienced the loss of his mother together.

I read Jan' s Remembrance and the make out parties we had, but we Also square danced with the same partners.

There were several of us that met at Sither' s every morning And walked to Leland Jr. High together via the railroad tracks, Across a creek and up thru somebody's backyard . I reminisced with Stamatia about a week ago and talked About our childhood and what a class act her brother was always.

R.I.P. old friend.