Christopher James Kanelakos

Christopher James Kanelakos, 53, of Arkansas City, Kansas passed away at South Central Kansas Medical Center Wednesday, January 12, 2022.
 

A celebration of life service will be held at 2:00 PM Monday, January 17, 2022, at the Shelley Family Funeral Home of Arkansas City. Memorial contributions may be made to The Kanelakos Children Education Fund, donations may be left in the care of the Shelley Family Funeral Home. Donations may also be made to defray funeral expenses, these contributions may be made directly to his wife, Julie.

Chris was born on August 4, 1968 in Arkansas City to Steve J. Kanelakos and Donna R. (Nickle) Graham. As a kid, Chris was rooted in baseball, football, and basketball and participated in many travel teams and little league. He graduated from Arkansas City High School in 1986 and attended Butler Community College on a football scholarship. He later transferred to Missouri Western for football and then Northwestern Oklahoma State University on a baseball scholarship.
 

Chris was employed over the years with Coca-Cola, Frito Lay, Budweiser, and most recently Creekstone Farms.
Chris married Ashley Holt on June 24th, 1994 in Arkansas City.  The couple had two children together, Kade and Khloe. Chris loved being a father coaching his son in sports and actively supporting both Kade and Khloe in athletics.

Chris married Julie Coplen on April 21st, 2017 in Ponca City, and the couple was blessed to have a basset hound they named Rosie.
 

When Chris wasn’t working, he enjoyed spending time on his deck by the fire pit, cooking steaks, and entertaining his family. Whenever Chris did anything, he always had music playing.  He was a great dancer and made his kitchen a dance floor with Julie every night.  He adored his dog, Rosie, but his children, Kade and Khloe, were most important to him.  Chris was especially close to his brother John, whom he contacted daily.
Chris’s smile and humor were contagious, and he brought so much joy to those he loved.  Chris had an immense host of friends and will be missed dearly.

Chris is survived by his wife Julie, son Kade Kanelakos and wife Emma, daughter Khloe Kanelakos, mother Donna Graham, brother John Kanelakos and sister Sharon Medlin. He is preceded in death by grandparents Sam (Joye) Kanelakos and John (Idabelle) Nickle,  his father and sister Lynn (Bruce) Burries.
 

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