Soterio Christodoulou Loved Cooking, Kids, Little League Coaching

Soterio Christ Christodoulou, 63, left memories of playing fields and a busy home when he died Feb. 1 of a stroke. Among them:

-- The odor of his roast lamb with garlic and oregano filling the house at Easter and Christmas.

-- His monkey nicknames for his 13 grandchildren - such as "Spider Monkey" and "Chimpanzee."

-- His coaching of West Seattle Little League players.

Christodoulou had been a sports star at West Seattle High School. "His dream always was to become a coach or manager of some sport," said his wife, Sharon Christodoulou, of SeaTac. "Little League let him do that for 20 years.

"We had six daughters, but he was coaching long before our son was born. When we lived for five years in Salem, Oregon, he even had a ballfield named for him."

Mr. Christodoulou's real job, the one that enabled him to rear seven children and take them on frequent camping and fishing trips, was as a deliveryman for firms including Keller (Plumbing) Supply for 25 years.

He had worked in many capacities, including management. But driving was easier on his high blood pressure and arthritis, his wife said.

He worked for Boeing after high school, then joined the Army and went to Korea, where he learned to cook. He prepared meals for USO-show stars such as Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe and Debbie Reynolds.

Back in Seattle, he worked in his family's Red Feather Tavern, then began driving trucks. He entertained himself with cooking, woodworking and outdoor vacations, usually with crowds of kids in tow.

"He was strong-willed, a teaser, and a caretaker of children," his wife said. "He not only worried about our children, but other people's."

His daughter Kathrine Chromy of Renton said he had always looked and acted young. "When my parents were first married - he was about 28 - the kids on the block would knock on the door and ask if he could come out to play. He just loved sandlot baseball."

Other survivors include his children Christine Long of Spokane, Elizabeth Christodoulou and Chris Christodoulou, both of SeaTac, Janice Smalley, Salem, Ore., Suzanne Hastings, Kent, and Pauline Worthen, Mill Creek; sisters Alexandria Budinich and Elaine Arkills, Seattle; 13 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Services are at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Yarington's Funeral Home, 16th Avenue Southwest and Southwest 107th Street in Seattle.

Remembrances may go to the Arthritis Foundation, 100 S. King St., Suite 330, Seattle, WA, 98104; or the American Heart Association, 4414 Woodland Park Ave. N., Seattle, WA, 98103.