Violet Brethes Tsiantis

COLUMBIA - Violet Brethes Tsiantis, 96, passed away on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. A native of Columbia, SC where she resided all her life, she was born on Feb. 25, 1927, daughter of the late James Brethes and Anna Anastasopoulou Brethes. Violet graduated from Columbia High School and from the University of South Carolina and was married in 1953 to the late Angelo Tsiantis, owner of Zesto, Inc. of Columbia. She assisted her husband in the business, while actively participating in the life of her church, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. She played a leadership role for many years in the St. Katherine’s Philoptochos Society, the ladies charitable auxiliary of the church. She loved singing in the choir, for which she held a special affinity, and served as the church organist for many years. In 2012, she was awarded the Archdiocesan Medal of St. Paul in recognition of outstanding commitment and service to the Church in America.

In civic matters, she participated in the Maids of Athena, the young women’s auxiliary of the Order of AHEPA, a national fraternal order promoting Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, and family, and was ultimately elected to serve as the auxiliary’s District Governor. Above all, she was an outstanding homemaker and a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, as well as a loving sister and a loyal friend. She cherished the ideals of family and faith and lived those ideals with an open and generous heart.

She is survived by a son, Lee of Atlanta, GA; two daughters Anna Maria Hobbs (Mark) of Columbia, and Vicki Thorne (Steve) of Atlanta; six grandchildren Evan (Mollie), John (Lauren), Thomas (Jordan) Hobbs and Valerie Hobbs Manly (Thomas) all of Columbia; Braden and Alex Thorne of Atlanta; eight great grandchildren, Ellis, Worth and Foster Hobbs, Mary Wesley, Penelope and Emma Hobbs, and Anna Vaughn and Wells Manly all of Columbia. She is also survived by her sister, Maria “Nini” Frangis of Atlanta, brother in-law Terry Tsiantis (Vasso) of Columbia, and several nieces and nephews of Atlanta, Ga., Bethesda, MD and Columbia, SC.

Special gratitude is expressed to the caregivers who attended Violet devotedly in her later years: Dottie Carter, Denise Nelms, Amy Reibold, Diane Messer and BJ Brown of Daybreak Adult Care Service, Inc.

Trisagion Prayers will be held on Friday, January 12 at 6:00 p.m. and Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 13 at 11:00 a.m. both at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1900 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201. The Reverend Father Michael A Platanis and Reverend Father Chrysostom J. Mitchell will be officiating. Serving as pallbearers are her beloved grandsons. Honorary pallbearers are her nephews and godsons: Lee S. Tsiantis, Pete Manos, George Zalants, and John Chigges all of Columbia, Stephen and Jimmy Frangis, Jimbo Livaditis all of Atlanta, GA.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1931 Sumter St., Columbia, 29201.

Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family. Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.