St. John's Cemetery Individual Record

Stavros Varvouris

Stavros Varvouris
(April 19, 1953 -- December 23, 2015)

Section: 39
Space: 8
Lot: 5
Parents: Nick & Elizabeth Varouris
Spouse: Tina Varvouris
Place of Birth: Skopelos Greece
Occupation: Business
Current Owner: Varvouris, Tina

Stavros Varvouris was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, no questions asked.

He’d also give you plate after plate of authentic Greek food, and always do it with a smile.

Varvouris, founder of the authentic Greek restaurant Aegean Breeze in Gulf Breeze, died Dec. 23 of a heart attack. He was 62 years old.

A native of Greece, Varvouris touched many lives locally through the restaurant, which he and his wife, Tina, opened in 1997. A husband, father and grandfather, Varvouris had a love for his family, fishing and cooking Greek food to share with anyone and everyone.

“My dad, he was a very passionate man,” said his daughter, Liz Gilmore. “Just passionate about the world and food and friends. And he had a big heart — if you ever needed anything, he’d be sure he did his best to get it for you.”

His standing room-only funeral Monday at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Pensacola was a testament to the number of people he impacted, Gilmore said, between his family, fellow fishermen and the customers he loved so much.

“In his own way, he touched so many people, whether it be through the food or just him caring about them in general,” Gilmore said. “If they had problems, he would ask. He just cared.”

Those who knew Varvouris describe him as “larger than life,” “one in a million” — someone who never encountered a stranger, and gave infinitely more than he received.

But after more than three decades of marriage, his wife, Tina, said it’s hard to sum up her husband in a few words. The couple met while working at the Angus restaurant in Pensacola — he as a chef, she as a waitress.

Stavros Varvouris and his wife, Tina, on their wedding

Stavros Varvouris and his wife, Tina, on their wedding day. Stavros died Dec. 23 of a heart attack. He was 62 years old. (Photo: Special to the News Journal)

 

“It’s hard to find a place to start when you’ve been married 33 years…,” she said. “He’s going to be missed just in everybody’s life. He was always looking out for somebody.”

Varvouris was well-known in the local fishing community, who would often take their catches to Aegean Breeze for him to cook. Charter Captain Paul Redman said he frequented the restaurant for about 15 years, sharing stories and experiences with Varvouris and fellow fishermen.

“The entire place was a family,” Redman said. “You could sense it in the room — it was like you were eating at your grandfather’s house or your uncle’s house, the whole atmosphere there. Everyone felt at home there.”

Jerry Andrews, also in the charter business on Pensacola Beach, said he went fishing with Varvouris several times, and he often sent local and out-of-town customers to his restaurant.

“He was always very friendly and outgoing to people,” Andrews said. “Never met a stranger, was always very generous, gave people lots of food — assumed they ate like he did. He was just an all-around great guy.”

Stavros Varvouris, founder of the authentic Greek restaurant

Stavros Varvouris, founder of the authentic Greek restaurant Aegean Breeze in Gulf Breeze, died Dec. 23 of a heart attack. He was 62 years old. (Photo: Special to the News Journal)

 

Vici Papajohn, a friend of both Varvouris and Tina’s, said he not only had a respect and love for people around him, but was also a brilliant man who could talk about everything from natural health remedies to his time in the Greek military.

“There’s a saying that someone is bigger than life,” Papajohn said. “People use it lightly, but I’ve only known one person who truly was. Stavros was literally bigger than life. He was a big man, had big hands, a huge personality. He had the most compassion for other people I’ve ever seen.”

Though Aegean Breeze is now owned by Gulf Breeze native Gavin Regan, Gilmore said her dad has stayed close to the restaurant and continued to help operate it with his wife.

Gilmore said the restaurant was her dad’s “baby,” becoming an extension of the Varvouris’ home and giving him a way to share his love of food and love for others.

“His heritage was very important to him, and he tried to show that,” Gilmore said. “Some people tell you ‘I love you,’ and some people buy you tokens, but his was food,” Gilmore said. “That was his way of showing you he cared.”