Sam George KountoupesMay 8, 1942 – July 7, 2026

Sam George Kountoupes (May 8, 1942 – July 7, 2026), a Detroit native, passed away in McLean, VA in the company of his close family months after a cancer diagnosis.

Family was always the most important thing in Sam’s life, and he routinely put his family members’ needs ahead of his own. As the eldest of five children, Sam was often called upon to care for his younger siblings. He took on this responsibility without complaint and with pragmatic calm and unremitting patience that remained his consistent approach to life until the very end. At the same time, Sam was always quick to joke and had a keen appreciation for humor, especially sarcasm, and he laughed much more loudly than he spoke.

While in public middle school in Detroit, a teacher recommended he take a placement test for Detroit Country Day School which he then attended on a scholarship. He went on to attend Kalamazoo College, where he studied English literature, excelled at sports, and met the love of his life, Donna Danielson. Sam was the first person on either side of his family to attend and graduate college, and he often said that his education changed the trajectory of his life and that of his siblings.

Soon after college and marriage to Donna, Sam set aside his love of literature for the stability of working at the George Kountoupes Painting Company, which his father had founded. Sam worked alongside his father and subsequently took over the business with a partner. Sam ran the business for many decades. In 2006 his son Cary and a trusted partner took over the business and Sam retired.

In anticipation of their first grandchild’s birth in 2004, Sam and Donna had moved to McLean, Virginia to be near their daughter Lisa’s family. That began a childcare love affair of nearly two decades which was a treasured time for him and Donna. It gave hardworking Sam the opportunity to be present for his grandkids in ways that he had not been able to be as a young parent.

Sam was a daily and weekly part of his grown children’s family lives and he loved that. For many of the more than 20 years that he lived in McLean, the family assembled once a week for dinner, and birthday celebrations. This was expanded and made all the more special by Cary’s subsequent move to the area with his growing family. Sam also treasured the big annual Thanksgiving celebrations. Begun in the Detroit area in the late 1970’s, the tradition moved to Virginia for many years, often hosted by Sam and Donna, and brings together generations of his large loving family from across the country.

Second only to family, Basketball was a lifelong source of joy for Sam. Despite being 5’8” he played on the varsity teams in high school and college. He continued to play in recreational leagues in and around Detroit and later in Arlington VA until January of 2026. His 70 and over 3-man team won gold in the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics multiple times and competed in tournaments elsewhere in VA and in Maryland. Those teammates “the Virginians” became dear friends, who met regularly for lunch.

Finally, Sam was a prodigious consumer of news media. He read the newspaper cover to cover every day (comfortably making the transition from the Detroit Free Press to the Washington Post), watched multiple news programs, and listened to news radio whenever he drove. He was even an early Twitter enthusiast for the unending information flow. Sam was always ready to share information and talk about current events.

He is survived by his beloved wife and best friend of more than 60 years, Donna; his daughter Lisa Kountoupes, her husband Jack Sava and their children Callista and Nico; his son Cary Kountoupes, his wife Lauren Richardson and their children Luca, Camille, and Eden; as well as his dear sisters, Maria Rodgers and Kiki Farrow and their spouses; his sister-in-law Evelyn Kountoupes; 11 nieces and nephews; and 21 grandnieces and grandnephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents George and Mary Kountoupes (Mihos); his beloved brothers Gus and John; John’s wife Sophie; and their son Elios.

The family will celebrate Sam’s life at a service on October 10, 2026, in McLean, VA. More details to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Sam’s memory be considered to Meals on Wheels or Kalamazoo College.