Louis Steven Paponis was born on May 25, 1923 in Los Angeles, California, the second son of Steve and Dina Paponis, both immigrants from the Arcadia region of Greece. Four years later the family moved to San Diego, and when "Louie" was eight they relocated to San Francisco. He attended Douglass Grammar School, Everett Junior High and Commerce High School.

During WWII, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps after studying for 2 years in the Civil Engineering program at San Francisco Junior College (now City College of San Francisco), and spent his basic training as a "jumping engineer", a paratrooper who is also an engineer. When his first two programs were liquidated, he was assigned to the 44th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army National Guard as a Mortar man and sent to France. It was during this period that he received a Combat Infantryman Badge and a pay raise. Not long after, however, he was injured in combat for which he received a Purple Heart... and a new assignment as an Army Air Corps photographer. His job entailed setting cameras in bombers to follow active bomb drops and to document strikes. He also photographed damaged aircraft, and pilots and their crews who had flown over 25 missions. Louie was discharged on January 21, 1946 after 4 years of military service.
Once back in the States, his injuries precluded him from being able to hold down a nine-to-five job but also gave him the courage to become his own boss. For ten years Louie owned "Plastic Palace" which later became "Enterprise Plastics". During that time, he was introduced to the funeral business and soon formed the partnership "Mission Chapels of Pappas, Buzelich and Paponis". He graduated from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science (president of his class) and became a licensed Funeral Director, Funeral Counselor and Embalmer. A year later he bought out his partners, and for the next several decades Louis Paponis was the Owner/Director of Mission Chapels Funeral Home at 435 Valencia Street in San Francisco.

In 1963 he met and married Marguerette Luella Shepard of Atherton, and three years later they had their only child, Dena. The family lived on Seville Way in San Mateo for 18 years, beginning in 1966. During that period, they purchased an empty acre of land owned by Marguerette's mother, Edith Shepard, and began the process of building their forever home, which was completed in 1984. Lou and Marguerette became very active in their new community as members of The Atherton Civic Interest League, the Atherton Transportation Committee, the Atherton Arts Council and the Menlo Park Historical Society. After Marguerette's passing in April of 2008, Lou continued to be active. He lived alone in their home until the age of 96 and then with the care of family until age 98.

Lou was a life member of several organizations including The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans. Within the Greek-American community he was Past District Governor of the Pan Hellenic Association, Past President of The Young Arcadians of San Francisco and a 70+year member of both The United Arcadians of San Francisco and The Order of AHEPA.

Louis Paponis passed away on February 17, 2022, three months shy of his 99th birthday. He is survived by his daughter Dena Marguerette Dahilig and son-in-law Gene Dahilig of Atherton, two step-granddaughters Jasmine Dahilig and Isabella Dahilig of Los Angeles and a mixed-breed pooch he adored named The Biscuit. He was predeceased by his parents and by his older brother, James Paponis, of San Francisco.

The family wishes to thank the VA Palo Alto Medical Center and specifically the Home Primary Care Team for their incredible support, as well as the staffs of Atria Park of San Mateo, the Health Center at The Sequoias in Portola Valley and Stanford Hospital ER and C3 for creating a calm, caring environment in these last few months.


In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a Veterans charity .