James Thomas Panos, 89, of McKinney, Texas, entered into Eternal Peace on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. Jim was widely admired for his unwavering affection for his childhood sweetheart and love of his life, Susan, his wife of 67 years. Jim’s life centered around his intense love for family and his strong Christian faith.
Jim was born on March 9, 1933, in Irvington, New Jersey, son of the late Tillie Ernst and Thomas Panos. The first in his family to attend college, Jim graduated from Upsala College with a degree in Business Administration. After 26 years as a Human Resources executive at Bell Laboratories, Jim and Sue retired to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, where he was involved in numerous charitable organizations. An active member of St. Paul’s Waccamaw United Methodist Church, he held various leadership positions including President of the Church Council. His faith and compassion for others led him to volunteer for many years at the local hospice organization in nearby Georgetown, South Carolina, serving as President for 5 years.
After 20 wonderful years of retirement, filled with travel, friends and visits from family, they relocated to McKinney, Texas, to be closer to their growing family. Jim will always be remembered for his sense of humor, playful spirit and strong family values. A loving husband and father, adoring grandfather and great grandfather, he will be missed immensely by his family. “Good men can’t help but be great dads. That’s just how it works.”
In addition to his beloved wife, Sue, Jim is survived by his three sons and daughters-in-law, Ken and Karen of Fairfax, VA, Tom and Deb of Allen, TX and Dave and Karen of Austin, TX, grandchildren, Mike Panos, Laura (Chris) Smith, Rob (Jamie) Panos, Kevin (Carissa) Panos, Zack Panos, Kayla (Ryan) Vinzant, Eric (Jackie) Panos and six great-grandchildren.
A service in celebration of Jim’s life will be held, Saturday November 19, 2022, at 2:00 PM at Suncreek United Methodist Church, 1517 W. McDermott Drive, Allen Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/.