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Florido Katsanos

“The Silver Fox”

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Florido was born December 17th 1932 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In his youth, Flo was known as a hellraiser, whose wild side was only tamed when he met the love of his life at a school dance. He asked her to dance several times, but his reputation preceded him and he was rebuffed. Eventually, Flo’s good looks and charm wore her down, and a year after graduating high school, he married the beautiful Arlene Ames; a marriage that lasted more than 65 years.
No sooner had the beautiful couple graduated high school when Flo was drafted into the US Army and sent to Georgia where he served for two years.
While back in New Hampshire, he was active in the Saint Andrews Masonic Lodge, eventually serving as Master of the Lodge. He was also an active member of the Bektash Shrine.
In 1965, Flo started a career at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and soon became a rising star. 15 years later, having risen to senior management, he accepted a position in the Philippines at the Subic Bay Naval Shipyard. An avid golfer, Flo was skilled at holes in one and dodging the cobras that enjoyed sunning themselves on the back nine. Not kidding.
After five years in the Pacific, Flo was ready to call it a day and returned to New Hampshire, put in his retirement papers, and moved to Arizona where he and Arlene settled into a relaxed life of golf and ballroom dancing. Arlene and Flo were regulars in the Sun City dance circuit, and danced in shows and competitions for years.
After Arlene’s passing in 2017, Flo moved with his family to Georgia and later Tennessee. He passed away in his sleep surrounded by his family on October 15th, 2020. Flo is survived by his daughter Denise and son Kris, three granddaughters; Kelly, Brianna, and Carrie, and six great-grandchildren.