Obituary of Marinos Mitropoulos

On Saturday, November 18, 2023, Marinos Mitropoulos passed away peacefully in the arms of his loving wife of 58 years, Effie in Lexington, South Carolina. Marinos was born March 20, 1940 in Lisaria Arcadia, Greece. Marinos was nearly invincible, surviving cancer three times, but finally succumbed to COVID.

In 1969, Marinos and Effie, still a young couple, followed their families to America with their two young children. They arrived in Florence, South Carolina knowing no English, but with grit, intelligence, resourcefulness, and strong character, they managed to forge their way as new immigrants. Marinos drew from the self-reliance he learned in Greece to make his way as an entrepreneur, starting as a cook at the Chicken Basket, then eventually opening his own restaurants, beginning with the Henny Penny.

Marinos was unforgettable, the most personable and charming person you would ever have the great fortune to know. He was the epitome of the phrase “he never met a stranger”. To have met him, was to love him. His gregarious personality filled the room, as did his great sense of humor, with a bottomless well of jokes in English and Greek, using whichever language achieved the mission of leaving his audience with a laugh. Marinos gave back to his community as a Master Freemason and member of Shriners International.

He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Marinos is survived by his wife, Effie, his daughter, Helen Austin, and son John Mitropoulos (Crystal), grandchildren, Christopher, Alex, and Rebecca, brothers, George Mitropoulos (Angie), Chris Mitropoulos (Yota), and sister, Toula (of Athens, Greece) and many nieces and nephews both in the U.S. and in Greece. He will be greatly missed.

Services will be held on Sunday November 26 at 3:00 PM at the Thompson Funeral Home at 4720 Augusta Road, Lexington, SC.