Alexis T. "Alex" Cholis

Sep 30, 1916 - Nov 8, 2015

Alexis T. "Alex" Cholis died early Sunday morning, November 8, 2015 at Schubert Villa Assisted Living Facility at Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame, Indiana in the presence of his family. Alex was born on September 30, 1916 in South Bend, Indiana the sixth of seven children of Greek immigrants, Theodore and Despina (Karatinos) Cholis, all of whom predeceased him.

On November 28, 1964, in the Lady Chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the University of Notre Dame campus, he married Catherine A. Pfaff, who preceded him in death on June 12, 1988 leaving a void in his life which he carried to the end. Left to cherish his memory are his nephews and nieces, Thomas J. Cholis, of Bethesda, Maryland; Penelope Kleespies of Cambridge, Massachusetts; John T. Cholis of Lafayette, Indiana; Paul T. Cholis of South Bend; and Despina Bonadies of Richmond, California. Alex was especially fond of Catherine's family including his brother-in-law, George Pfaff of Asheville, North Carolina and his two children, Maggie Kelly and Peter Pfaff; and his sister-in-law, Mary Louise Wolf (deceased) and her children, Chris, Marty, Michael, Greg, Steve, Andy and Mary.

Alex was a "Double Domer" receiving his undergraduate degree in Commerce (Accounting) in 1941 and his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1942. Immediately after graduation, he embarked on his military career in the United States Army as a member of AMGOT, Allied Military Government Occupied Territories, a joint taskforce of United States and British forces. In that capacity and as a member of the staff of the U.S. Ninth Army, he served in North Africa, Sicily, Southern Italy, England, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Returning to the United States in late 1945, he commenced the practice of law with his mentor, Attorney Walter Arnold, practicing as an associate in the Arnold Law Firm with his close friends, Isadore Rosenfeld and Hon. Robert Rodibaugh.

In 1951, he left the Arnold firm and joined his older brother, Nicholas P. Cholis, and later his nephew, Paul T. Cholis, in the practice of law where he practiced until 2013 when he officially changed his status with the Indiana Roll of Attorneys to "Retired". He was profiled in a 2013 article in The Indiana Lawyer which cited him after seventy years of law practice as having been an active lawyer six years longer than anyone in Indiana history.

The family expresses its deepest gratitude to the staff of Schubert Villa Assisted Living Facility and to the caregivers of Senior Helpers for their combined and cooperative efforts and the exceptional care provided to Alex during the final few months of his life. Donations can be made to either the Christ Child Society, St. Anthony Parish in South Bend, Indiana or to the charity of the donor's choice.

Friends may call from 3-7PM on Wednesday, at the McGann Hay, University Chapel, 2313 E. Edison Rd. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday at 10:00AM at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church, with visitation from 9:30-10. Entombment will follow at Highland Cemetery.

Sources: Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com

10/16/2025 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154827459/alexis-t.-cholis