John Searles

SEARLES, John, age 78, of Beavercreek, passed away on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Oakwood, Ohio.

John was born on September 15, 1943 in Dayton, Ohio to the late Sanford and Henrietta (Drieling) Searles. He graduated from Beavercreek High School in 1961 and earned his BS in Biology and Masters in Education from the University of Cincinnati in 1966. In 1985, while working at WPAFB, he received a Masters in Computer Science from The University of Dayton.

He began his professional career by teaching at Bellbrook High School, then worked at Kettering Lab, and finished his carrier at Wright Patterson Air Force Base specializing in computer programming.

While teaching at Bellbrook, he met the love of his life, Mary Mitrousis, on a blind date. They were married on June 28th, 1970, and they would have celebrated their 52nd anniversary in June 2022.

John was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He was an avid woodworker and enjoyed roller blading, water skiing and boating, cycling, relaxing on his back porch, and taking his sports car for long drives. He made his grandchildren priority in his life and loved taking them on hikes through the trail in his backyard and teaching them everything he knew, especially woodworking. He will be deeply missed by his friends, family and all that knew him.

He was preceded in death by his parents Sanford and Henrietta (Drieling) Searles; his father and mother in-law Stefanos and Arhonda (Kiritis) Mitrousis; his brother in-law Chris Mitrousis.

John is survived by his wife, Mary (Mitrousis) Searles, and two daughters Elisabeth and Nicole: Elisabeth (Bryan) Ludwig of Dayton, Ohio and their children, Zachary and Julia; Nicole (Nathan) Sites of Columbus, Ohio and their children, Emerson and Eleni. In addition, John is survived by many loving family members including: cousins, in-laws Bill and Georgia Mitrousis, Nick and Denice Mitrousis, Linda Mitrousis, and many nieces and nephews and godchildren.

John's family would like to thank the staff at Brookdale Oakwood and Hospice of Dayton for their loving care and support.

The viewing and funeral will be held on Friday, May 27, 2022 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 500 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH 45405. The viewing will be at 9am and the funeral will be at 10am. In lieu of flowers and in the support of his wonderful wife, Mary, please donate to the Alzheimer's Association or the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Dayton.