Peter Sotos

Peter Ilias Sotos, of Indianapolis, IN has taken a seat with our Lord in Heaven after a long fight with various heart related ailments. He was born on 05/23/29 in the village of Horemi, Megalopolis, Greece and died on 08/31/11 at the age of 82. He was one of eight siblings born to Elias Panagiotis and Kalliope (Papathanasiou) Sotiropoulos. With his family's village and home in Greece under occupation during WWII, educational opportunities were few in the modern sense but their life was abundant with a strong Christian faith and practical wisdom. While Peter and his family knew hunger and adversity, their strong faith, family values, and work ethic allowed them to persevere and ultimately emigrate to the U.S. While in the U.S., it was fate that he met Stavroula Svolos, who happened to be from a nearby village in Greece and whose families knew each other, the same adversities, and was also an émigré. They were appropriately married on Thanksgiving Day, 1961 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. With nearly 50 years of marriage they have two sons, Ilias Peter Sotos along with wife Phyllis Kriner and three grandchildren: Persephone Kriner-Sotos, Peter Kriner-Sotos, and Penelope Kriner-Sotos; and Efthimios Pete along with wife Elaine (Stamas) Sotos. Peter retired from working as a diesel mechanic at Mack Trucks in 1994 after 27 years of service. He was also a member of the Order of AHEPA for 47 years. Foremost however, he was a family man in the truest sense of the word and together with his wife provided support for their sons with the idea that they would make a better life filled with the opportunities they never enjoyed. He lived a simple lifestyle and had no desire for much beyond the basics of life. His most cherished enjoyments, and greatest pride, resided in his sons, daughters-in-law, and especially his grandchildren. Never was his heart more lifted than when in their company. At events shared with family and friends, his capacity for storytelling and humor provided entertainment and was the source of laughter in others. He was also a self-taught clarinet player. When occasion allowed, his music together with humor could touch the hearts of all around him. He will be remembered as having a fun-loving and sharing soul. Of Peter's parents and siblings, he is predeceased by his mother, father, brother George Sotiropoulos, sister Athanasia Athanas (Sotiropoulos), and brother Theodore Sotiropoulos. Surviving siblings include: Vasso Gika, Maria (Theodore) Papatheodorou, Nikoletta Anagnostopoulos, and Sotirios Sotiropoulos. Additionally, he is survived by sister-in-law Dina (Mergiotis) Sotiropoulos and loved by many nieces and nephews. Peter also shared a special bond with his godson Gus Mavrikis as they could laugh endlessly together. The viewing will be held at Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center at 1305 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220, Monday September 5, 4pm – 8pm, with the AHEPA service starting at 7:15pm and Trisagion at 7:30pm. Funeral service will be held Tuesday, September 6 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 3500 W. 106th St, Carmel, IN 46032 at 11:00am with a short viewing 10am – 11am prior to services. After funeral services, internment will be at Crown Hill Cemetery at 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN following the graveside service. Reception (Makaria) will follow at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. John of Andrews Flowers may be reached on cell at 317-750-3030. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the AHEPA-DOP District #12 Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1003, Schererville, IN 46375 in memory of Peter I. Sotos. The foundation provides scholarships for college bound youth. May his memory be eternal. You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan