Obituary of John George Poles

At nearly 98 years old, John Poles lived a full and meaningful life.  He was born in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, on May 22, 1927.  At age 13, he and his sisters, Patra and  Sia, performed as a musical trio for local radio shows and dances in and around Zanesville Ohio.  By the time he was 15, he was playing saxophone in Billy Stead’s Big Band and other big bands throughout the Midwest.  His professional music career was cut short when he was drafted into the army in the late stages of World War II. 

In the Army he was a Drill Sargent, specializing in munitions and bombs.  When pressed by his mother to explain what his duties were in the army, he told her he was a “teacher” and she seemed pacified.  After his time in the service, he worked on the railroad, pounding spikes, until going to Ohio University on the G.I. Bill presented a less painful option to move forward.

After graduating college, he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend law school at The University of Michigan.  There, in between studies, he would go to local weddings and Greek dances as his social outlet.  At one of those weddings, he was lucky enough to find Eugenia, his wife of 70 years.

Once married, John and Eugenia moved to New York and spent time with Panagi Venturas, an uncle of John’s who was a retired Sea Captain living at the St Moritz Hotel in NYC.  Captain Venturas convinced John to embrace his maritime heritage and become an Admiralty Lawyer.  John soon joined the maritime division of Hill, Rivkins, a large, white-shoe, Wall Street law firm.  While there, he met and befriended another starving young lawyer named Mel Tublin.  It didn’t take long for the two of them to tire of the Big-Law rat race, and they ultimately formed their own admiralty law firm.  Poles and Tublin found trusted partners in Mike Patestides and Christ Stratakis and the four of them worked happily and successfully together for over 50 years. In those years, the firm and its attorneys won many awards; but, more importantly, shepherded countless clients and young collegues.

The bond of mutual trust and respect the four partners had for each other allowed them to invest in ventures other than the law.  They were able to expand their careers beyond the courtroom and get a taste of what it was like to be a restauranteur, landlord, ship owner, hotelier, rancher.

Despite all the hours at the office, John still managed to stay in good physical shape, which is probably one of the reasons he lived almost a century.  He had a good tennis game, he could ski, he was a boxer, a football player, a baseball player, a wrestler, an incredible swimmer, and a pretty good sailor.

John was very active in the Greek Orthodox Church.  In 1957, he became one of the charter members of the Church of Our Savior in Rye, NY, and devoted much of his time on the Parish Council as president.  He was honored in 1997 to be named an Archeon Ipomnimon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Among John’s many accolades and accomplishments, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2002.

At the age of 93, the COVID pandemic forced John into an early retirement.  John and Eugenia sold their house in Scarsdale and moved to New Jersey so they could be closer to their daughters and grandchildren.  John lived his remaining years in peace and near family.  He is survived by his wife Eugenia, their children and respective spouses Diane & Gerhard Cerny, George & Carol Poles and Joanne & Paul LeMire.  Additionally, he is survived by his four beloved grandchildren, Alison LeMire, Christopher Cerny, Jaime LeMire & John-Michael Poles and first great-grandchild, Panayotie.

Wake and Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 am at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church located in New Rochelle, New York on Monday March 10th.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made in John’s name to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church or to the charity of your choice.