Nicholas A. Lulos

Nicholas A. Lulos, 85, of Fort Wayne passed away Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Born February 11, 1937, in Canton, Ohio he was the son of the late Angelos and Evangelia Lulos. His parents emigrated to the U.S from the Isle of Crete in 1929, and Nick was proud of his Greek heritage, especially his time spent as a server in his Greek Orthodox church until his mid-twenties.  He was a long-standing supporter and parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.    

He earned an undergraduate degree from Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) where he was the Salutatorian and a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, a master’s degree from the University of Buffalo, and an advanced studies certification from the University of Michigan. 

Nick spent 45 years in the Defense Electronics Industry. He joined the Magnavox Company in the early 1960s and rapidly progressed from System Engineer to Project Engineer to Program Manager to Deputy Director of Engineering for the Communications and Electronics Warfare Division to Vice President Electronic Warfare Group to Senior Vice President Communications and Electronics Division. Magnavox was acquired by the Carlie group in the early 1990s and subsequently by the Hughes Aircraft Company and finally by Raytheon Company in the late 1990s. Nick was given challenging assignments to grow the Command & Control business and received many accolades for his work. Nick was extremely proud of those he worked with and their accomplishments. He fondly referred to people as “chipmunks” and “demons” because of their relentless efforts and ability to deal with challenges. He had stories about meetings with 5-star generals on aircraft carriers in the middle of the ocean while learning about the aircraft in the efforts to create better electronic systems for the military personnel that flew them. He liked sharing the story of his actual flight with the Blue Angels, although he admits to being terrified and never wanting to repeat the experience. His work took him to all parts of the world. How many people do you know who were actually in Berlin while the wall came down? Nick was there. We’d like to be more specific about what he did, but most of his work was highly classified and he literally took that information with him. Nick’s close friend and colleague, Jack, has described Nick as a “national treasure”. 

Nick was a devoted father and husband. Nick met Alberta (Bobbie) while attending the University of Buffalo. They married in 1962 and were married for 47 years until Bobbie’s passing in 2009. Bobbie and Nick enjoyed traveling and she provided “fun” for the serious engineer. They also enjoyed golfing with friends and played many courses across the country. He and Bobbie were avid collectors. Nick’s hobbies included electric trains, motorized helicopters, and photography. His son Andy convinced Nick to buy a lake home because Andy loved the outdoors and fishing. From Nick’s descriptions, Andy was full of life, very bright, and was very hard to say no to.  Even after Andy’s tragic death at the age of 21, the lake remained a special place for Nick. His daughter Vickie also had a special place in his heart. Because of Vickie’s disability, Nick became an advocate for his daughter, working with groups such as Fort Wayne Community Schools, Turnstone and others.  

Nick married Mary Jane in 2013 and inherited her large family and became an instant grandfather at the age of 76 to Alyssa. He was willing to go anywhere and do anything as long as he was part of the group. This included Notre Dame games, listening to live music, dance recitals, academic luncheons, grandparents’ day, watching countless sporting events whether it was basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, even cross-country races – he always enjoyed the teams; show choir competitions, Florida vacations, lake weekends and more. 

Nick is survived by his daughter, Victoria Lulos; wife, Mary Jane Lulos; stepchildren, Pam (Cary) Ausderan, Kathy (Phil) Goffer, Susan Wesner, Larry (Angie Smock) Westendorf and Jenny (Josh) Hartup; granddaughter, Alyssa Goffer; sisters-in-law, Joanna Hustead, Pat Eisenbeis; nephews, David Eisenbeis, Matt Eisenbeis; nieces, Mary Pat Eisenbeis, Susan Stott. Nick was also preceded in death by his first wife, Alberta Lulos; son, Andrew Lulos; and brother, George Lulos. 

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 am, Monday, March 28, 2022, at Our Lady of Good Hope, 7215 St Joe Rd with calling one hour prior. Burial will be in Catholic Cemetery.  

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church 4910 Trier Rd Fort Wayne IN 46815 or Guns’N’Hoses Fort Wayne (www.gunsnhosesfw.org/donate).