The Pratsinakis family would like to thank the Saint Thomas Greek Orthodox Church of Cherry Hill, NJ, Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church of Vineland, NJ, and all of the surrounding Greek communities who have prayed for John through his fight against COVID-19.
The family is also beyond grateful for all of the doctors and nurses of Cooper Hospital, especially Dr. Elias Illiadis, who have put themselves on the frontline to save John as well as everyone else affected. It is the power of prayer that has given John the strength to keep fighting COVID-19, and will continue to help others fight this virus and heal as we are all in this together!
John Pratsinakis was born in Athens, Greece, in 1973 and emigrated to the United States in 1976. He is the son of Greek Orthodox Priest Father Emmanuel Pratsinakis and Presbyter Maria Pratsinakis, followed by his siblings Catherine and Haris. Growing up, John played basketball and baseball, and with his love for sports, he is a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, Seventy-Sixers, and the New York Yankees. John lived in Flushing Queens, NY, where he spent his early years. He moved with his family to Moorestown NJ in 1988 and graduated from Moorestown High School in 1991.
He has been a longtime member of the St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, where he served as an altar boy, active member, volunteer, and basketball coach of the Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA). At St. Thomas, John met and married the love of his life and high school sweetheart Maria (Gasparis) Pratsinakis and has been by her side for over 30 years.
He graduated with a BS in chemical engineering from Drexel University in 1996 and immediately joined Merck Pharmaceutical Co, where he has worked ever since. John is a proud Merck employee, rising through the ranks with a strong work ethic. Today he serves as Merck’s Director of Product Delivery for the Northeast and considers himself lucky to be surrounded by so many top-notch colleagues.
John’s pride and joy are his three children Stella (21), Katerina (17), and Yianna (11), and he looks forward to the day he can rejoin his family. John is loved immensely by his family, parents, siblings, in-laws, friends, work colleagues, and his community.