Athanasios (Tommy) Tzelis, 82, of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 23, 2022 with his family by his side.
The youngest of four children, Tommy was born in the Northwest city of Ioannina, Greece on May 8, 1939 to Evangelos and Aphrodite Tzelis.
Tommy joined the Greek army and then the merchant marines, where he got the opportunity to travel the world. Before coming to the United States at 24 years old to work with his Uncle Charley in New York City, he lived in Germany and Canada. He worked at his uncle’s bar before moving on to own and operate his own restaurants.
Most recently, Tommy owned Ena Cafe. His incredible ethic of working 100-plus hours per week stayed with him right up until he was 77 years old. He was known throughout Great Barrington for his soups, especially his Greek chicken lemon rice soup. Aside from being a dedicated chef and owner of restaurants, he was also a champion weightlifter, artist, jeweler, and acrobat.
Tommy will forever be remembered for his constant smile, infectious laugh, his kind and giving nature, and of course, his amazing head of hair. He always greeted you with a smile, a story, and a few jokes.
Tommy is survived by his wife Catherine Tzelis, daughter Hilary Drucker, son-in-law Richard Drucker, and his two grandsons Sam and Ian, whom he loved more than anything in this world. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Gail Miller and Hilda Miller, the Drucker Family, whom he adored (Karen, Peter, Kristin, Debbie, Larry, Haley, Alex, Anna and Sarah), and his family in Greece (Harris, Mary, Spiros and Fotis Athanasiou, and their significant others and children).
He was predeceased by his father Evangelos, his mother Aphrodite, his brother Vasillios, and his two sisters Effie and Espesea.
The family would like to thank all of the staff at Geer Village Nursing for all their hard work and kindness. They all made Tommy feel at home while he was there.
There will be no services. To send remembrances to the family, please visit the Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home website.
