Sophocles Petrou fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, February 13th, 2022. Most loved and adored husband of Stereopi for 33 wonderful and blessed years. Devoted father of Sotirios, Eleni, Maria, Nikolaos, and Theodora Petrou, who adore him. Cherished son of the late Demetrios Petrou (1997) and his late wife Eleni (1989) and son-in-law of the late Stergios Nikides (2007) and his wife Maria. Beloved brother of the late Nikolaos Petrou (1996) and his wife Katerina, Demetrios Petrou and his wife Zoi, Panagiotis Petrou and his wife Katerina, Sophia Agapiou and her late husband Spiros (2020) and brother in law of Vasilis Nikides and his wife Philitsa. Loving uncle to his many nieces and nephews and their children.
It is impossible to adequately describe such a man in a few lines. He accomplished more in his time than most would believe possible. An incredibly faithful, dynamic, honest, and generous man, with unending energy and sweet charisma, he was the embodiment of philotimo and arete. He put faith and family first and himself last. He completely devoted his life to helping others and was there for countless people in their time of need, all while raising a close-knit loving family.
He was a very learned and talented man; his good works took him all around the world. He has a vast library filled with books spanning topics of faith, classics, business, and politics, to technical engineering and ancient Greek poetry. A serial entrepreneur, licensed electrician, executive chef, and Lifetime Member of the Director’s Guild of Canada, he could create, fix, wire, or build anything. If he wasn’t managing his businesses, working at the well-known Four Seasons Restaurant & Reception Hall, or on site at a construction project, you could find him reading or writing poetry, scripts, or stories. He was always ready with a smile, comforting hand, piece of advice, or a witty joke.
He is very well-known in the Greek Orthodox community in Greece and all across North America, as he was instrumental in bringing the blessed Elder Ephraim of Philotheou, Mount Athos, to Canada for the first time in 1979. He was Elder Ephraim’s driver and companion throughout the first 15 years of his establishment of Greek Orthodox monasteries throughout North America.
He understood the value of time and always told his beloved children “don’t waste your heartbeats”—he didn’t waste a single one from his giant heart. He will be missed immeasurably.
Prayers and visitation will be held at St. Kosmas Aitolos Greek Orthodox Monastery, 14155 Caledon King Townline Road South, Bolton, on Thursday, February 17th, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Full funeral service and interment will be held at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, Arizona.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any of Elder Ephraim’s monasteries.
Condolences for the family may be offered at www.EganFuneralHome.com
Zoe Tsagaris
Dear Stereopi, Sotiri, Eleni, Maria, Niko and Theodora,
We’re in shock and so heartbroken by the untimely loss of your beloved Sophocle! We will always remember him as the soft spoken, kind and loving man that he was, as he was beautifully described in his obituary! Now we’ll all have another angel to guide and protect us from above! May God rest his soul, and give you strength during this incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are always with you! Αιωνία του η μνήμη Ζωή σε σας
Love, Dimitris & Zeta Tsagaris
Jodi Kandiotis
May his memory be eternal. A legend in our greater spiritual family. He was so well respected and loved. He will be deeply missed by so many. Our deepest condolences to his beautiful family. May you all be consoled by his great works and wonderful example. So sorry for your loss❤️ Sending love and prayers.
Mikhail and Anna
May our Lord grant Sophocles rest and eternal memory. Anya and I are saddened to see this news. But we will continue to keep him and all of you in our prayers. We both loved meeting him and hearing his amazing stories with Elder Ephraim. Our love goes to all of you.
Вечная Помять
Duncan MacIntosh
My thoughts are with you at this time of loss.
I remember the kindness you shared when Carleen passed and want to thank you once again.
Take the days one at a time and know he will always be in your hearts.
Emilios and Joanne Margaritis
I had heard a lot about Sophocles, through my late brother Argyrios Margaritis, being a close friend of his. Unfortunately, we only had the opportunity to meet Sophocles in a couple of occasions. We were deeply touched by humbleness, his warm heart and generosity and genuine interest in people. Guided by his deeply instilled values of a real practicing Christian, he had an immediate impact on us.
An exemplary husband, father and outstanding Christian!
Our deepest sympathy to his beloved family.
May God rest his soul and his memory be eternal.
Emilios and Joanne Margaritis
Cathy Giannousopoulos
This has Saddened us deeply Agape Stereopi, Beautiful kids and Family.
Our Deepest Condolences, So Very Sorry for your Huge Loss. May Sophocles Beautiful Memory be Eternal ✝️️ What a Kind Beautiful giving man. Always gave us desserts and to take home. Always Will Never forget him Always in our thoughts and Prayers. May our Good Lord give you All the Strength to get through this Heartbreaking Difficult time. All our Love and Prayers. Stavros and
Cathy Giannousopoulos.
Sharon Lamb
Our sincere condolences to your family, Sophocles has left a wonderful legacy in his family! I was absolutely shocked and immediately saddened for all of you! He was always quick to help in any situation I had and will be missed. I knew him best as my landlord but saw how kind he was to all around him and extremely proud of his wife and family.
Thanasis kouniakis
My deepest condolences.
He was a good man he will be remembered
Athanasia and Alexandros Petselis
Extending my deep and heartfelt condolences to the Petrou family of Sophocles’ passing of. I pray that God grant you and your family the courage and strength to cope during this difficult time. I’m sure you have many lovely memories with Sophocles that will always warm your heart and make you smile. Perhaps the stars are openings in heaven where the love of loved ones pours through and shines down to let us know they are with us. I always enjoyed my talks with Sophocles, he was always so kind and such an insperations. May his memory be eternal! Αιωνία του η μνήμη, Ζωή σε σας! Our Blessed Geronda Ephraim has his arms wide open to recieve Sophocles. My prayers are with all of you .
Vicky
Heaven has received yet another amazing person.
Pleasure to have known you for so many years.
Rest in sweet piece.
Condolences to his loving family
GBNF
Erie Conners
My deepest condolences to each of you who called Sophocles father, husband, brother, uncle and friend. I did not know him so well but what I did know of him was that he was always so kind, gentle and friendly when I met him at the restaurant while visiting with Maria. He has left an amazing legacy in his beautiful children who clearly love and respect him dearly. Thank God for a man who feared God and lived a life sought to honour him. I will be praying for you Stereopi, Maria, Niko and family.
Gina
My beautiful Maria
I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of your much loved father. I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet him but reading what you and your beautiful family have written about him provides
a clear portrait of an amazing man who will be hugely missed by you all. But you know he is resting in a good place and you will always have beautiful memories of him and your time with him and love in your heart.
Mum and I send all our love Maria mou. I’ll call you in a couple of weeks to see how you are.
Kosta & Mary Mouhtouris
Our deepest sympathies to Stereopi and the whole family. What a very sad loss for everyone whose lives he touched. Kalo tou paradeiso and may his memory be eternal.
Thinking of you all,
Mouhtouris Family
Anna
My sincere condolences to the family. My thoughts and prayers are with you. May Sophocles memory be eternal.
Anna Stefanidis
Christina Panageas
A beautiful man, very caring with a lovely sense of humor❤ Condolences to the family, and May Your Memory be Eternal.Heaven will embrace you with angelic hymns.Bye for now, and thank you for all the wise talks.
stella Laskaris
Dear Stereopi and Family
My heart goes out to you. I still can’t believe he’s gone. My condolences to you and the kids. May his MEMORY BE ETERNAL.
Kosta Ioannidis
Stereopi and Family,
Our deepest sympathies to you and your family, may you find comfort in the memories you shared. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time
John,Mimi, Christina, and Vasili Davakos
Dear Stereopi, Theodora, Sotiri, Eleni, Niko and Maria, words cannot express how deeply sorry we are to hear about Sophocles’s passing. May he Rest In Peace and May his memory be eternal. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time. Love Mimi, John, Christina and Vasili Davakos
Adrianna Droefke
I am beyond saddened by this, but will hold the memories close to my heart. He was such a wonderful man who will never be forgotten. May your memory be eternal. Sending the Petrou family my love and prayers.
Nick , Voula, and Kyriako Portokalis
My deepest Condolences Stereopi and family for your loss , left way too soon.
Soula
My sincere condolences Steriopie and family. May his memory be eternal
Napoleon Speis
Sotiri, we met while working with Ameresco.
Sad to hear of the passing of your father. I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to you and your family.
May his memory be forever in your hearts.
With deepest sympathy Napoleon Speis
Ο Θεος να αναπαυση την ψυχη το
Αιωνια η μνημη του
Panagiotis "Pete" Korsos
My Dear Niece, with a heavy heart I am at a loss of what to say except that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ decided to rescue that great man Sophocles from his suffering, he is now in the arms of Gods Angels relived and without pain or suffering. I know that the Grace of God will comfort you and the family and will continue to be with you always.
With Lots of Love and Prayers
Uncle Peter & Auntie Val
Themistoklis Mantzavrakos
Our sincere condolences and may you find forever peace in his memories..
Themistoklis and Fotini Mantzavrakos and family
Kathy Fotia
My heart aches for all of you. What a beautiful tribute to your husband and dearest father. I feel blessed to have known him and am truly saddened to hear about his passing. Know that I will be thinking of of all of your during this difficult time.
George Georgopoulos
One of the, kindest, smartest and well versed Greeks that blessed our community as a pioneer for many decades. Sophocles would smile while maintaining that look of curiosity and thirsty for knowledge. May God Bless.
Stella Allilomis nee Laskaris
My deepest condolences to the entire family. May his memory be eternal. God has summoned for one of his angels.
Sandra Peloza
Dear Stereopi, Sotiri, Eleni, Maria, Niko, Theodora
We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the passing of your beloved Husband and Father.
Cliff was a very special person. It was an honour to know him. No matter where, no matter when, he was always ready to greet you with a gracious smile and some kind words.
And his beautiful family is the reflection of the amazing man he was.
Our prayers and most sincere condolences are with you all.
Love, the Peloza family
claude kortas
Our deepest condolences for your loss.
May his Soul Rest In Peace.
Vassiliki, Claude, Georgia and Michel
Georgia Fragiskatos
Dear Stereopi,
I would like to send my deepest condolences to you and your children at what I am sure is an extremely difficult time.
I cannot tell you how saddened I am. Throughout my life I could always sense in Sophocles ‘ smiling face such a genuine and strong level of caring, warmth and kindness. I know how much his friendship meant to my Giagia during her lifetime (she really loved him) and I know for a fact that he had a positive impact on many other people as well.
I am thinking of you all during this difficult time. May the Lord grant his soul rest and May his memory be eternal.
Martha Vogiatzis and, John and Virginia Galbraith
Dearest Stereopi, Sotiri, Eleni, Maria, Niko, and Theodora,
We are so deeply saddened to hear of your beloved husband and father, Sophocles, passing.
He was an amazing man that touched so many lives. A man with Godly qualities, that is so unique to find in this world. His deep faith, resonated in all that he did, all that he said, and all that he thought. He was a passionate man, with a big heart, that embraced everyone, and a true image of Gods love. He has left an incredible legacy in his beautiful family, and so many wonderful and endearing memories to those who’s lives he touched. He will be truly missed.
May his memory be eternal!
You are in our thoughts, and in our prayers.
With all our love Martha, John and Virginia, Laki and Helen ,Maria, Christina and Dimitri
Daphne Bailey
This lovely man Cliff as we knew him, was a very nice person to us both. Our condolences to his family. May he rest in peace. Sincerely Richard and Daphne Bailey
Kelly Serodio
Dearest Stereopi, Sotiri, Eleni, Maria, Niko, and Theodora,
I am so truly saddened to hear of the passing of your husband and father, Sophocles. What I know of him through our talks at school, through Kiera and through my few conversations with him, he was a family man who worked tirelessly to instill the values of a strong work ethic; he had a thirst for knowledge and higher education, an immense devotion to his faith, and a determination to build strong and lasting family ties with his children and those around him. (Kiera tried so hard at the restaurant – she was scared to disappoint Sophocles, and I appreciated that his opinion was important to her. )
These are such difficult days ahead. The sorrow never leaves us but over time, memories soften the edges. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Love,
Kelly, Joe & Kiera Serodio
Denise Abbott
I am so sorry to know that your family has experienced this terrible loss. I did not know your father but clearly his life was full, his love far-reaching and his family forever impacted by his incredible influence. You’ll carry him with you in your heart, your memory and your loving ways. I have no doubt that he was extremely proud of his family. My sincerest condolences to all of you.
Jim and Virginia Giannoulis
We are very saddened of the loss of the beloved Sophocles. Our deepest sympathy to Stereopi, his children and the rest of the family. May God bless his souls and Rest In Peace
Peter, Margie, Christina, Demetria Chelonis and Christina Panopoulos
Dear Stereopi, Sotiri, Eleni, Niko, Maria and Theodora, our deepest and most sincere condolences for the loss of such a talented, generous, learned and spiritual husband and father. We will always remember our conversations with him, his generosity to us personally and to the community and the example he set for his family. You are all in our prayers during this very difficult time. May his memory be eternal.
John and Vaso Costopoulos
Our sincere condolences to Strereopi and your beautiful family. May his memory be eternal. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May God give you strength and may He guide you through this difficult time.
Always in our hearts,
John, Vaso and Costopoulos family
Maria Gofas
I would like to offer you my condolences for your great loss. May his memory be eternal.
Christina Mostowich
Streepi , Sortiti, Eleni, Niko, Maria, and Theodora. Our deepest condolences to you all. I am very blessed to have spent time with a man with such wisdom, love for Christ his family and humanity. He spoke words to me that I hold close to my heart. Thank you Sophocles for opening my eyes. May your memory be eternal.
Love Christina and Shelby
Kathy Skentzos
Stereopti and family. Still in shock of the passing away of Sophocles. He was a very kind soul who was loved by many . He had a great sense of humour and always a smiling face. I must say he was the best Boss I’ve ever had.
Thinking of you all during this difficult time time. May his memory be eternal.
Kathy and Peter Skentzos
Antonios and Ellen Mamandras
Stereopi and Family,
We will always cherish our memories of smiles, generous hospitality, stories and kindness that characterize Sophocles. When we brought friends with us to dine at the restaurant, he would come over to the table and greet them with such genuine warmth and grace as if welcoming old friends.
Our deepest sympathy to you all at this most difficult and sad time of separation as he has passed into his new life.
May the Lord comfort you at this time and always.
Antonios and Ellen Mamandras
MOUTSATSOS FAMILY
Dearest condolences to your family on your loss. Sophocles was a good and caring person who will always be remembered.
Vicki Pedicelli
Dear Steriopi, our sincerest condolences to you all on the loss of Sophocles.
Paul & Vicki Gofas
Rana Chakrabarti
I have known the Petrou family since third grade through my close and long-lasting friendship with Sotiri. I would spend hours coming over to play, eat incredible home cooking and work on school projects over the years. To me the Petrous have always been as close to family as anyone I am related to.
When I first met Sophocles, I was intimidated. He has a gruff style of talking at times and is very firm with his convictions and that was not something that I was accustomed to. However, very quickly I learned that beneath that initial impression is a wealth of love, knowledge, wisdom and a drive to better both the lives of his family and the community at large.
Sophocles was never one to speak about himself unprompted, however once he started telling the stories about his life with some excited encouragement from his kids, it is impossible not to feel awed by the rich, adventurous life that he led, coupled with his deep sense of responsibility to his faith, family and community.
I cannot imagine the toll that his passing has taken and will continue to take on his family and the entire Greek Community, however the support and love that I have seen, speaks volumes both to what kind of a person he was and ensures that his lasting memory will remain imprinted in our hearts.
I would like to express my sincerest condolences to the Petrou family. There will never be another of his like in this world.
Love,
Rana and the Chakrabarti family
Nick Prangikos & Family
I am truly saddened and sorry to recently hear about the loss of your father. My sincere deepest condolences for your family’s loss. I am honoured and blessed to have known him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, may his memory be eternal.
God bless, zoi se sas.
Nick Prangikos
Paul Andres Family
We are all so saddened to hear about Sophocles’s passing. He was a very kind, loving, generous and spiritual man who we all admired, loved and respected. May his memory be eternal in heaven! Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Love, Paul, Nitsa, Dorian & Isaac.
Julian Dutton
I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of Sophocles. I met him 22 years ago when he hired me to be a bus boy at Four Seasons. He took great pride in his restaurant and put together some of the greatest food I’ve ever had. He taught me so many culinary tricks that I still use today. My wife and I were somewhat regulars at four season until it closed for Covid. He treated everyone like family. He was a great man and after reading his obituary I only knew a small fraction of what he accomplished in life. RIP Sophocles