Tasso John Conomos
Sept. 11, 1938-Aug. 9, 2017
Menlo Park, California

Tasso John Conomos, beloved husband, cherished father, loving grandfather, and devoted son passed away peacefully with loved ones by his side on August 9, 2017. Ever gracious, he showed the courage to bow out gracefully after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. As Dad reflected in recent weeks, his cup was full.

Tasso was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 1938, to proud Greek immigrant parents, John and Penelope Conomos. Raised as a first generation American with a great appreciation for higher education, Tasso was among the first in his family to attend college.

Passionate about science and the great outdoors at a tender age, the onetime Sea Scout received a Bachelor of Science in Geology and earned a Masters in Marine Geology from San Jose State University, then accepted a Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution and received a Doctorate in Oceanography at the University of Washington (UW). He was later appointed to the UW Department of Oceanography research faculty before an exciting endeavor brought him and his new wife to the California Bay Area in 1969.

Tasso joined the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct groundbreaking research on the San Francisco Bay estuarine systems and other West Coast estuaries. It was his team’s body of work that ultimately shaped San Francisco Bay environmental policy for the next 40 years.

Tasso was later assigned to the role of Regional Research Hydrologist and then Administrator for Hydrologic Research for the Western Region of the USGS -- a senior leadership position in which he thrived until his retirement in 2001.

Cited for his outstanding contributions to and advocating for water-resource research, program monitoring, and identifying, recruiting, and mentoring hundreds of scientists -- Tasso was granted the highest honor of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Distinguished Service Award, and honored as a world leader in the definition of estuarine processes.

And yet despite his professional success, nothing was more important to Tasso than his wife of 48 years and their three children. He enjoyed spending part of every year in the Sierras, where he indulged his seafaring soul on Lake Tahoe. And he often journeyed to his ancestral homeland of Greece to trace and to honor his family lineage on the island of Kythera. A jack of all trades, Tasso was a master woodworker, a gourmet cook, an incredible mentor, and an esteemed friend to ... everyone. Dad never knew a stranger.

He is survived by his loving wife, Janice, son John W. Conomos (Amanda), daughters Penelope Benis (Christopher), and Alexa Anderson (Bradley), grandchildren Christopher, Alexander, and Nicholas Benis, Tasso and Basel Conomos, and Luka, Britton, and Annick Anderson. He also leaves behind his devoted mother Penelope Conomos and his loving sister Chrysanthy Conomos.

Tasso is now united in eternal rest with his revered father, John A. Conomos, and his beloved sisters Damiani Conomos and Anastasia Condas.

A Trisagion service will be held Sunday, August 13, at 7 p.m. at Church of the Holy Cross, 900 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont, California. The funeral service will also be held at Church of the Holy Cross on Monday, August 14, at 11 a.m.

Remembrances may be made in Tasso’s name to Church of the Holy Cross (www.goholycross.org) or the Kytherian Society of California (www.ksoca.com).