John Athanasopoulos was a well-loved father and husband. He was born in Greece, in the mountain village of Pyra Fokidos on June 5, 1940. During his formative years, he lived through the horrors of World War II and the Greek Civil War. He was an internally displaced refugee in Lamia for years as a child, and he would often recount the difficulties that many faced during this time. Despite enduring hardship beyond measure throughout his childhood, he persevered. He attended high school in Lamia and was later accepted to the college of engineering in Athens. After finishing school, he served with great pride in the Greek Army for two years as a second lieutenant.
John always dreamed of moving to the United States and in 1970, with only $400 to his name, he did exactly that. He immigrated first to Milwaukee before finally settling in Denver. As he always impressed upon his children, he believed that hard work, sweat, and sacrifice would lead to success. And for John it did. From his first job cleaning the inside of the flour silos at the Wonderbread factory in Milwaukee, to owning his own restaurants all over Denver, John never lost the work ethic that brought him success. John embodied the American dream and served as an inspiration to others for all that he accomplished.
While John found the professional success that he always sought in the United States, he never forgot his homeland. John was intensely proud of being Greek and would often share stories he read about the amazing accomplishments of Greeks all over the world. He found great joy in listening to Greek music and dancing, eating Greek food, and telling tall tales about Greece. His incredible work ethic was matched only by his mischievous sense of humor, his humility, and love for his family. He was a gregarious man who relished entertaining others and being entertained. He was a generous man who would feed the homeless and showed kindness and philoxenia to everyone who came to his restaurants. He took pride in the family he created with his wife of 43 years, Maureen Athanasopoulos. He also loved traveling, talking politics, reading and learning about everything, and critiquing the cooking of others.
John is survived by his wife Maureen, his children George, Ashley, Ioanna, Deb, Areti, Christophoros, Jess, Alexandros and Christina, and grandsons Jack, Luke and Joseph. John was an active member of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and he participated in the Masons, Shriners, Scottish Rite, Elks, and Rotary Club.
