Obituary of Dionisios Sabalos

Dionisios Sabalos, 96, passed away on November 23, 2023, in Tucson, Arizona. Dan, as he was known by family and friends, was born on June 21st 1927, in the Bronx, New York. The eldest child of Greek immigrants, Dan lived, worked, and helped his beautiful wife, Vasiliki Nicolopoulos (Bessie), raise their three children wherever his jobs took him, including New York, Rhode Island, Arizona, California, and Washington, D.C. After Bessie's passing in 1993, he lived for 20 years in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Dan graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1944, New York University in 1947 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, and studied for a master's degree at Columbia University. He became nationally recognized as an expert in electronic warfare (signals intelligence), the creation of a land-based war zone ground troop movement simulator which he designed to provide disinformation to enemy command centers, and the development of military aircraft navigation systems (two patents). Over the years he was employed as chief engineer by Northrop Nortronics, Frederich Research Corporation, and Page Communications. He was also employed by Bell Aerospace Corporation and the U.S. Department of Defense (the Army Security Agency, within the National Security Agency). In 1962-63, Dan was sent to South Vietnam for twelve months to participate in the installation of a more secure intelligence and counter-intelligence electronic communications system for use by the U.S. military in preparation for the escalation of U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1994, Dan was selected by the Department of the Army for induction as one of eight charter members of the U.S. Army Operational Testers' Hall of Fame. He was past president of the Tucson chapter of A.H.E.P.A. (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association), and chairman of the 1958 western region A.H.E.P.A. convention in San Francisco. His autobiography, “Son of Immigrants” was published in 2016. Dan was predeceased by his parents, Constantine and Panagiota Sabalos, Vasiliki, his beloved wife of 45 years, brothers Gregory Sabalos and Nicholas Sabalos, and grandson Stephen Dember. He was also predeceased by his close friend Gilda Puzio. He is survived by his children Charles S. Sabalos (Jan Kearney), James C. Sabalos (Lockie Jo Gibson), and Barbara Kennedy (Michael); and grandchildren Sarah Sabalos, David Dember, and Gibson Maximilian Sabalos; sisters-in-law Dolores Sabalos, Irene Rally and Maria Sabalos, and twelve nieces and nephews.