Peter George Magiros

Peter George Magiros, 94, of Greer fell asleep in the Lord surrounded by his beloved family on Monday, September 30th, 2024. He was the devoted husband of Cynthia Pavlides Magiros and father of George Magiros of New York, NY, Marian Fiorita (David) of Jamison, PA and Joanne Ryan (Chad) of Cumming, GA.

Born on October 7, 1929 in Elkton, Maryland, Pete was the son of George Thomas Magiros and Anna Coroneos. At the age of 2, Pete lost his mother, Anna, from thyroid cancer. Pete’s father, being a widower and restaurant owner, was unable to take care of his boys and wanted to give his boys a good life. This being said, Pete’s older brothers John and George were sent to a farm to be raised, while a very kind couple named Charles and Carrie Dontell who frequented his father’s restaurant volunteered to take care of Pete. Pete had a humble upbringing as the Dontells were very poor. Dad Dontell would get up in the mornings at 4am and add coal to the stove to heat up the home. The home had spring water and the family had to heat water on the stove to take a sponge bath. The family did not have an indoor commode until Pete was in high school. Growing up, Pete loved Lionel trains, playing the violin, photography and developing film, and building model airplanes. What the Dontells lacked in money, they made up for in their genuine love and affection for Pete and he quickly referred to them as mom and dad. At the young age of 5, Pete had to walk ½ mile to school. As he grew older, Pete had to ride his bike to his aunt’s house and then catch a streetcar (trolley) for his daily 45 minute commute to high school.

In fall of 1946, Pete attended night school at John Hopkins University and transferred to the University of Maryland in the spring of ‘47. He loved Chemistry and graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1951. Pete was drafted into the army on May 11, 1953 and was sent to Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas where he worked in the biological pilot plant. Two other soldiers and Pete became interested in flying so they found a side by side Piper Club plane for $600 from the owner of a bow and arrow factory. Pete flew cross country and passed the written exam. After the army, in 1955, Pete accepted a job in the Process Development group at a fertilizer plant called Olin Matheison in Pasadena, Texas. There, he received a M.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston. Pete immediately became active in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Houston and made many lifelong friends. It was here where Pete met the love of his life, Cynthia, and they later married on July 27,1965. Coincidentally, at that same time, Pete had been elected President of the Alexander the Great Chapter 29th of AHEPA and the National Convention was being held in Athens, Greece. As a result, Pete and Cynthia attended the convention during their honeymoon in Greece.

Pete’s love for service continued to grow. As District Governor of AHEPA he was awarded the key to Corpus Christi for his exemplary commitment to service. In 1982, Pete was elected to the Houston church board and subsequently elected secretary. To no one's surprise, he was elected the Chairman of the Greek Festival grossing over 400,000; profiting over 200,000.

Pete was employed at the Houston office of J.E. Sirrine and had the opportunity to travel to many different places while he was employed, including Oregon, New York, and Brazil. In 1984 he was transferred to their sister office in Raleigh, NC. It was hard for the family to move but they quickly acclimated by being active in the church, enjoying new experiences and making many lasting friends. Three years later, Pete was relocated to Greenville, South Carolina.

In Pete’s fashion, he was soon elected President of AHEPA and served in many capacities including board member and secretary of the church. His professional career as a Chemical Engineer allowed him to impact and help in so many ways including the creation and implementation of the entire electrical and communication system still used at the Cathedral today. He was an integral part of the church and often was the one to open the church. Pete continued to serve the church and held AHEPA positions throughout his life. Even at age 92, he served as secretary. The highest honor came to him this year on April 18th when the Order of Ahepa awarded a pin for his 67 years of service for his distinguished contributions and steadfast dedication to the high principles of Hellenism. Pete was a true philanthropist to the very end.

Although he retired in 1998, Pete and Cynthia continued to live a very active and social life. Pete continued to play golf, played in a bowling league, and traveled to many places including Aruba, Hawaii, Greece, Cabo San Lucas, a Viking Cruise to Germany to name a few. They loved being around people and their opposite personalities complemented each other.

Pete’s kindness and genuine spirit will be deeply missed by all who knew him. He was a man of the highest integrity and blessed everyone who knew him. He was always eager to help others with projects or repairs and never said an unkind word about anyone. He truly lived a life of serving others. He was often described as progressive in his thinking and introduced many of these ideas in his work and in his church.

Pete is preceded in death by his parents George and Anna Magiros, brothers Thomas Magiros (Mary) of Newark, DE and John Magiros (Minnie) of Ellicott City, MD.

Besides his wife and children, he leaves behind his beloved grandchildren: Nicole, Elise, and David (DJ) Fiorita, and Zachary and John Ryan, sister-in-laws Georgia Safos and Libby Zamora; Brother-in-law, David Zamora; nieces, Eva Magiros, Anne Sfakianos, Barbara Panaretos, Irene MacKewiz, Anthe Gimenez, Angela Roane; nephews George Tom Magiros, Alex Safos, Paul Zamora, as well as many great nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family wishes to thank Pete’s devoted team of caregivers who provided love and exceptional care.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 6th from 3pm until 6pm with a Trisagion Service at 4pm at Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn, 1 Pine Knoll Drive Greenville, SC 29609.

Funeral service will be on Monday, October 7th starting at 10am at Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Committal will take place in Graceland East Memorial Park, Simpsonville SC.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St.George Greek Orthodox Cathedral designating in the memo for the AHEPA Family Center located on 406 N. Academy St. Greenville, SC 29609.

May his memory be eternal!