Feb. 23, 1927 – Jan. 20, 2021
Shrewsbury – Born Feb. 23, 1927 in Worcester to Vasil Pappas and Olga Nichols, Ted was the beloved younger brother of Christie Pappas and older brother to Tommy Pappas.
Ted was raised in Worcester, where he was a star football and baseball player. At 17, he met Phyllis Toth, a local girl who was employed at his father’s fruit store. The two were inseparable for over 72 years, later becoming parents to their two daughters, Nancy and Lee Ann.
Ted and Phyllis were determined to build the best life possible for their young family. Ted drove daily predawn roundtrips to produce markets in Boston, worked all day at his father’s business, and studied and attended classes in Engineering at Worcester Junior College at night. For 11 years he worked tirelessly, graduating first with an Associate Degree followed by a BA in Business Administration from Clark University. As a result of his efforts, he was immediately hired by Honeywell Inc. and prospered at the company for over 30 years becoming the Head of Pricing and Policy reporting to the President.
Ted and Phyllis raised their family primarily in Shrewsbury. Education was paramount to the couple, and at their insistence the entire family would graduate from a four- year college. Ted was a lifelong learner, always in the middle of a book or chess game to stay sharp. Ted credited his wife Phyllis as the force behind his education, career and all his successes.
For almost 20 years, Ted enjoyed playing golf with his wife Phyllis and their friends at Worcester Country Club. Both were consistently active and went on daily walks around their neighborhood in Shrewsbury and in Dean Park together. The two also traveled both domestically and internationally, enjoying occasional winters in Florida and short stays in Europe.
Ted’s biggest joy was his wife and family. He was an integral part of his grandchildren’s lives—he taught his grandson how to crawl, would later teach both grandkids to drive, and every day reminded them they would always be each other’s best friends.
Ted told his family that he wanted to live exactly two days longer than the love of his life, his wife Phyllis. After she passed away in November, Ted enjoyed two months with his daughters and grandchildren before he was ready to join her again.
Ted is survived by his daughters, Nancy Pappas Watson and Lee Pappas Turner of Shrewsbury, and his grandchildren, Michael Watson of Westborough and Kimberly Toth Watson of Cambridge.
