James A. Katsilometes

The crack of a Louisville Slugger. The roar of an old V8 engine. The stark sharing in a 12-step recovery meeting. These were James Katsilometes passions. A man who helped dozens of individuals recover from alcoholism over nearly 40 years, Katsilometes died Oct. 3 at his home in Pocatello. He was 72. Katsilometes was born in Pocatello on Oct. 13, 1945. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; son, Athan; daughter-in-law, Silvia; grandson, Emilio; brothers George and Davis; and sister, Nancy. A celebration of life will be on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 3 pm at the familys home on West Vasilious Place in Pocatello. Katsilometes graduated from Pocatello High School in 1963, having fought polio throughout his younger years. He loved baseball. James' father, Vasilious "Bill" Katsilometes, was a ballplayer in the Boston Red Sox chain. Among the highlights of Katsilometes life were visits to the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park in Boston. Katsilometes was also well-known for his fondness for classic cars. He restored many antique vehicles (among those he owned at the end of his life was a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air). His sense of humor surfaced as he worked on his cars; whenever he raked his hand across the engine block or dropped a wrench, he called out, "Good! I fixed it!" His fascination with vehicles stretched to the Indianapolis 500, an event he visited many times. Katsilometes work as a sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous was monumental. Katsilometes had just marked his 39th year of unbroken sobriety on Sept. 13, less than a month before he died. Near the end of his life, he said that someone asked if hed finally take a drink. "I told him, Hell, no. Im already sick. Im going out sober. "

Celebration of Life

10/13/2018 15:00



Hawthorne and Quinn LDS Building

4010 Hawthorne Rd

Pocatello

Idaho

83202