NEEDHAM— Constantinos S. Bartzokis, 83, who came to Worcester as a 28-year-old Greek immigrant and retired thirty years later as a successful restauranteur and real estate speculator, died here early Sunday morning surrounded by his family at the home of his daughter, Dr. Elenie Bartzokis, after a long illness. He was 83 and resided at 34 Border Road for 36 years.
He was born in Kostana, Greece on March 28, 1923, son of Spyridon and Vasiliki (Stamoulis) Bartzokis, who moved their family to Kastoria, Greece when Constantinos, who was known by everyone as Dino, was still a boy. While on a return visit to his native area as a young man, he met Olga Gatzoyiannis, who lived in the nearby village of Lia. Dino came to Worcester in 1951 to marry Olga, who had arrived two years earlier after the murder of her mother by Communist guerrillas in Lia during the Greek Civil War; a story recounted in the book and film "Eleni" by Olga’s younger brother, Nicholas Gage.
Their marriage and early life together are described in Mr. Gage’s memoir, "A Place for Us," a sequel to "Eleni" published in 1989.
Although Dino had the opportunity to go to school only through the fourth grade in rural Greece, it was his greatest pride that he and Olga produced three sons and a daughter all of whom went to top colleges and became successful doctors and lawyers.
He lived with his wife and children at 369 Chandler St., Worcester, in a home he bought in 1953 while he worked as a chef at Putnam and Thurston’s Restaurant. In 1970, the family moved to Needham and he opened the Needham House of Pizza in the center of town. Eventually he bought the block on which it was located as well as other real estate in the area. He retired in 1981 and spent the remaining years of his life looking after his real estate holdings and visiting his sons and grandchildren in Florida and his friends in Greece.
He was active in both St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester and St. Demitrios Greek Orthodox Church in Weston as well as in several organizations formed by natives of the Epiros region in Greece.
Besides his wife and his daughter, he is survived by three sons, Spyro Bartzokis, a lawyer in Orlando, FL. and his wife, Calliope; Christos, a lawyer in Boca Raton, and his wife Patricia, and Thomas, a cardiologist in Boca Raton, and his wife Peggy. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Katherine and Dean Bartzokis of Orlando, Kristin Bartzokis of Boca Raton, Alexander and Elizabeth Bartzokis of Boca Raton and Marina and Melina Chadbourne of Needham.
Three siblings also survive him: Dr. Demosthenes Bartzokis of Igoumenitsa, Greece; and Sofia Katris and Androniki Raptis, both of Miami, FL. His brother, Andrew Bartzokis, of Needham, and his sister, Eleni Koumbis, of Worcester, pre-deceased him.
Calling hours at Nordgren Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln St., Worcester are from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 102 Russell St., Worcester, where the funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Burial will follow at Hope Cemetery. All those attending are invited to a luncheon at 1:00 p.m. at the Manor in West Boylston to celebrate Dino’s life.
For directions and on-line guestbook, please visit:
nordgrenmemorialchapel.com