My father-in-law passed away this past Sunday. This is both joyous and heartbreaking. He had been in such poor condition for so long now that while we are sad that he is no longer with us…we are so very glad that his pain, both physical and emotional, is over. He has been reunited with the love of his life, which is all he has wanted for the past 4 1/2 years.
Pete Spiro Anthis — March 15th 1932 – October 14th 2018
Pete Anthis lived a full life. He was born in Greece and lived there until he was in his early-twenties. He decided at that time that striking out for America is what he needed to do and working on a cargo ship was the cheapest way to get there. It may have been the cheapest but it took him many weeks to finally step forth onto Ellis Island (he had to work on the cargo ship as it made many stops in Europe before crossing the Atlantic). In Greece, he was a pharmacist but now that he was in the United States he could make his American dream come true and become a chef. Many smaller jobs in New York eventually lead him to a famous restaurant in Southampton, Long Island, where he became the head chef, a position that allowed him to meet and greet many top notch celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor and several members of the renowned “Rat Pack”.
The Love of His Life
While living in New York, Pete met the woman he would spend the next 50+ years with…Annette. They knew each other only a short time before they sealed the deal with a simple wedding. It wasn’t long before children came onto the scene! First up was Petey, three years later Nikolas was born (in Greece as it so happens), and five years after that the princess of the family, Tulla, appeared on scene. All three of them describe an idyllic childhood with a father who worked hard so that his family could thrive. When the youngest was five, it was time for the next step on Pete’s journey…he up and moved the family across the country, settling in a suburb of Los Angeles and for the first time was able to own and run his very own restaurant, Kara’s Pizza, a widely popular Italian and Greek joint that catered to the everyday folks, some upper crust celebrities (one of the members of Van Halen got married at Kara’s!), and most importantly those who protect and serve. A police officer or fire fighter never paid a dime to eat there.
Proud American
Over the years, to supplement his families income, Pete took on a couple of other jobs…working as a security guard at a credit union and at the local race track. He loved feeling like he was giving back to this great nation that had welcomed him with open arms and made it possible to achieve anything he set his mind and heart to.
From the time Pete arrived in American he worked hard to learn the language and assimilate and finally gained citizenship in 1965. He was an incredibly proud American and nothing made him more proud than when one of his sons entered the Navy. After that, he was rarely seen without some sort of Navy ballcap on! Often slipping one of the many sitting around our house into his suit case to take back to California. LOL!
The Next Chapter
Once all the kids were grown and out of the house, Pete and Annette sold Kara’s Pizza and the family home and made their way to the deserts of CA, finding their dream home on a large plot of land. The dry air suited them, and while Pete was no longer able to have much a of garden he found other activities to keep him occupied. He attended the local Greek church, volunteered at several organizations and forever fussed around the house keeping things spic and span! Of course he continued to cook beautiful Greek dishes for his wife and anyone else who happened to be around.
Saying Goodbye
As the years passed, Annette’s health began to decline and she finally passed away in January of 2014. Pete, being 15 years older than Annette, never thought she would be the first to go, and as such, he spiraled into the depths of despair. He missed her so much, down to the marrow of his bones. He felt sure he would follow her in death quite quickly and was ultimately dismayed when he continued on for over 4 1/2 years. Yes, he’d had numerous small strokes, his blood pressure was high and he had diabetes…but ultimately we all know that he died of a broken heart. And so, while we feel great grief at his passing, our hearts are overflowing with the idea that he is now whole in the eyes of the Lord and is back where he always was, and needed to be, right next to his lovely bride.
This Saturday, Nick and I (and two of the kids) will be flying to California to lay Pete to rest.
(Naturally, I had plenty of pictures to choose from for this post, but our youngest had the most special relationship with Popou, and so, I just had to choose pics that showed their deep love for each other)
