Antonios Braoudakis

Just before midnight on Saturday, Nov. 26, Antonios (Anthony/Tony) Braoudakis completed is 94-year assignment here and went to be with the Lord. Born in 1928 in Crete, Greece, his family survived Nazi atrocities during World War II, which led him to pursue a career in law enforcement. He became a police officer and was assigned to a village outpost in northern Greece where he met Helen, who soon after became his wife. 

In 1957, the couple welcomed their first child, Joseph into the world. The new responsibilities of parenthood caused the new family to move to Athens, where Anthony took on a variety of different jobs to support the young family. They lived a very modest life in a studio apartment for 10 years, where they shared a bathroom with several other families. Barely struggling to survive, the family was surprised to learn that they would be having another child soon. Anthony’s brother, Paul, who was living in Chicago at the time, suggested that the family pack up and move to the United States, where opportunities were more bountiful in the 60’s. When the baby was born, it seemed appropriate to name him after his uncle who had extended the invitation to the U.S. — Paul.

In January of 1967, with a three-month-old and a 10-year-old in tow, the family landed in Chicago, a city in the middle of the largest snowstorm in its history. Unfazed, Anthony found a job six days after landing … and held that job for for the next three decades. In his first five years in his new country, Anthony had saved up enough money to buy a two-flat. In another five years, he would buy his first home, where he would live the rest of his life.

Hard-working, resourceful, and diligent in all he did, Anthony was the ultimate provider for his family. The consummate renaissance man, he took on side-jobs wherever he could find them, often working seven days a week — but he always found a way to make time for his family. His faith in God drove his values, which he firmly instilled in his boys and cemented his legacy forever.

Anthony was widowed in 2011 and is survived by his son, Joe and his wife Mary Gaye, and his son Paul and his wife Heather. He had two grandchildren he absolutely adored, Bliss and Anthony. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Antonios Braoudakis, please visit our floral store.