AUGUST 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 89
OBITUARY
JOHN KOUFAKIS
STAR AUTO GROUP FOUNDER
BY BILL PARRY
A key figure in the development of
Queens automobile dealerships during
a 40-year span has died. John “Senior”
Koufakis, the founder of Star Auto
Group of Queens, and a driving force
with the Greater New York Automobile
Dealers Association, passed away on
Long Island on July 8 at the age of 94.
Koufakis was born in the Chelsea
neighborhood of Manhattan and
worked with his father as a furrier at
the tender age of 12. His success was
built on his early business ventures,
starting off driving and owning a
taxicab, selling it, and buying a Carvel
franchise, which he later converted
into a fast-food eatery and, eventually,
a used car lot.
Koufakis served in the U.S. Army
from 1944 to 1945 and married his
wife Georgia in 1949, settling in Jackson
Heights before moving to Jamaica
Estates, where they had three children.
They eventually moved to Brookville,
but continued to operate the Star
dealerships in northeast Queens.
“The foundation of Mr. Koufakis’ success
was built on his extraordinary
work ethic. The running joke was
that if you worked 12 hours in a day
you worked just half a day,” Star Auto
Group said in a statement announcing
their founder’s death. “He was still
coming to work until very recently.”
Koufkis served on the board of directors
of the Greater New York Automobile
Association from 1988 to 2009, and
as chairman of the Membership Committee
from 1996 to 2001. Currently,
Star Auto Group is a franchised new
car dealership that represents Chrysler,
Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Toyota, Subaru,
Hyundai and Genesis.
Koufakis shared his responsibilities
with his three sons, John Jr., Steven,
and Michael, who all participate in
managing Star dealerships.
Tragedy struck in May, 2009 when
the matriarch of the family, Georgia,
was killed in a car accident, at age 83.
The couple was driving near their
Brookville home when their car collided
with another vehicle on Route 106.
“She was in such good health and then
to be gone in just one minute,” Koufakis
said at the time. “We were just one
month shy of our 60th anniversary.”
The couple met in their teens and
learned that both of their families
were from the same village in Crete.
The priest at her funeral service, held
at the Greek Orthodox Church of the
Resurrection in Brookville, shared that
the word family is an acronym meaning
“Forget About Me, It’s Loving You.”
In addition to their three sons, Koufakis
is survived by his three beloved
daughters-in-law, 11 grandchildren
and one great-granddaughter, as well
as nieces and nephews.
Following visitations at the Greek Orthodox
Church in Glen Head, where
a burial service was held July 14,
was a burial service at Locust Valley
Cemetery.
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