Ottawa – Athanasios Fotiou, 85, passed away at his home surrounded by his loving wife and children on Monday, July 13, 2020, after a seven-year battle with prostate cancer, one month shy of his 86thbirthday. He is survived by his wife of 55 years Lilian (Herciga) and his children Alexandra (Steven), Andrew, and Michael (Jessica), also by his beloved grandchildren Benjamin and Sophia who loved their Greek “Papou” so very much.
Born in Marathousa Greece, August 11, 1934, to Sophia and Spiridon Fotiou. He is the last of his three younger siblings. He endured much during and after WWII and during the Greek Civil War. He was an honored University Professor of Classics at Carleton University for over thirty years, receiving his Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati in 1967. He graduated from his beloved Anatolia College in Salonika Greece in 1954. His love of ancient Greek and Roman history was his forte. His stories of his life in Greece were legendary and inspired many students to see this wonderful place he so loved. He published numerous academic articles and a book, a historical rendering of the Nazi terror machine in Northern Greece during the time of his childhood. He went on a book tour in Athens in 2011 to celebrate this deeply personal accomplishment. He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends. He was an intelligent, literary gentleman. May his memory be eternal. “Sagapo” my dear husband.
A private family funeral service will take place Saturday, July 18th, 2020 at the Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Endicott, NY followed by interment at Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Cemetery, where his wife’s family has a plot. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor to Prostate Cancer Canada or the Prostate Cancer Foundation (US) to help more men escape this dreadful disease.