Evangelos “Angelo” Theodorogiannis, born on May 18, 1950, in Karpenisi, Greece, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family, leaving behind a legacy rooted in faith, sacrifice, perseverance, and unconditional love.
In 1974, Angelo courageously immigrated to the United States to join his brother and sister in pursuit of greater opportunity and a brighter future. Carrying with him the enduring values of his Greek heritage — devotion to family, deep faith, humility, hospitality, and an unwavering work ethic — he built a life defined not by what he accumulated, but by what he gave to others.
In 1975, he married the love of his life, Ourania (Nia) Kokinos Theodorogiannis. Their partnership was the foundation of a home filled with warmth, laughter, tradition, and steadfast support for one another through every season of life.
Angelo was a proud and loving father to Zoe Theodorogiannis Bobotsiares (Panagiote), Anastasia Theodorogiannis, and Constantine Theodorogiannis (Emily). Nothing brought him greater joy than his role as “Pappou” to his beloved grandchildren, Georgia and Stavros Bobotsiares, whom he adored beyond measure. He is also survived by his loving sister, Angeliki Canavos, as well as many cherished cousins, nieces, nephews, and godchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved parents, Konstantinos and Zoe Theodorogiannis, and by his brother, Nick Theodor.
To many throughout the community, Angelo was best known as the proud owner of Angelo’s Steak and Pancake House, the restaurant he owned along with his son Costa that became not only his livelihood, but an extension of his heart and hospitality. For decades, he was a daily presence there — greeting customers by name, sharing stories, offering laughter, and making everyone who walked through the doors feel like family. He took immense pride in his work and in the relationships he built with loyal customers, dedicated staff, and friends who became part of the Angelo’s family over the years.
Beyond the restaurant, Angelo and his son Costa quietly gave back to the community he loved. He was especially proud to support the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank each Thanksgiving, believing deeply in helping others and ensuring families could gather around a warm meal during the holidays.
Known for his sharp sense of humor and love of a good joke, Angelo had a way of making people smile wherever he went. He also loved collecting treasures, searching for a great find, and spending time tinkering in his shop — hobbies that brought him endless joy throughout his life. Angelo will also be remembered as a gentle, humble, and deeply devoted man whose quiet strength anchored his family and whose kindness left a lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to know him. His life reflected the very essence of philotimo — honor, selflessness, and love for others — values he carried proudly throughout his life.
Though his absence leaves an immeasurable void, his memory will live on through the family he adored, the traditions he passed down, the community he helped build, and the countless lives he touched with his warmth and compassion.
May his memory be eternal.
Funeral services for Evangelos Theodorogiannis will be held at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Newport News, Virginia, on Saturday, May 23. The family will begin to receive visitors at 11:00 a.m. A Trisagion prayer service will take place at 12:45, with the funeral service immediately after at 1:00 p.m. Interment to follow at 3:00 p.m. at Peninsula Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church or the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank in honor of Angelo.
53 Comments
I am sorry about your loss ! My prayers are with all the family ! He is on a journey to a better place ! He is just away ! May your memories bring you comfort ! Deep condolences
May his memory be eternal
Our hearts are hurting. We are so very sorry for your loss, Angelo will be sorely missed.
Angelo was what a man is supposed to be. From the first day I met him he made me feel special and every time since.
Our hearts go out to the entire family. Angelo was loved by our family. His smile, laughter and jokes were infectious. We love you all and are in our thoughts and prayers .
My sincerest condolences to all those who knew and loved him, especially his loving family. He was a valuable piece in the community who will be deeply missed. His legacy will live on through all thoughs whose lives his kindness touched. May his memory be eternal.
We are so sorry for the loss of your loved one. We often eat at Angelo’s and he always was so very nice and always a smile on his face ❤️🙏🏻
Our entire family is as deeply saddened as the rest of the patrons and friends who loved Angelo! He was more than just the owner of a local restaurant to most of us; he was a warm smile when we walked in. He was an owner who would sit with you and share his life and listen to stories about ours. Sharing stories of his beloved Greece and asking about our travels and always suggesting we visit hometown made us feel special…as he did to all of his regulars. Everyone who ever walked into Angelo’s will miss his presence, that feeling of friendship and his warmth. To his beautiful and loving family, we send our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies. He meant so much more to us than you will ever know!
Prayers for Angelos family he will be missed
I love you Angelo
You will be missed
Our condolences to the Theodorogianni family on the passing of Angelo ,we all will miss him .We pray now that he is resting in the bosom of Abraham. May his memory be eternal .
Our deepest sympathy to your family!
The Kramers
Nia and Costa,
May God bless you and your families through this time of sorrow. I met Angelo in 1985 while delivering bread to his restaurant. He immediately left an impression on me that lasted for over 40 years. In business dealings he was always one my favorite customers to work with. He is already missed by all of us.
Sincerely,
Jack Kotarides
God Rest His Sole!!!
I am so sorry for your loss he was a great person always lifted everybody’s spirits make sure you got great service my prayers and thoughts are with the family
May he rest in peace 🙏
Our condolences to the family.
To the Family & the Angelo’s Family,
Angelo will surely be missed. My family has been eating at his restaurant for many, many years. We have had numerous celebrations at Angelo’s, as well and eat there quite frequently. Angelo always made everyone feel important to him and he made sure everyone was satisfied with their meals. We will miss him dearly. Keeping you all in my heart and prayers.
He will be missed. Love you Angelo. Please tell All Our Heavenly friends, like Dana and Faye “Hello” for Us. Rest in Peace good friend.
Sending your Family love and prayers of comfort!
Angelo will be missed deeply by everyone, especially by our family.
He always made us feel just like we were his family. He was concerned with anything that might have happened to anyone in our family. Showed so much love to each of our grandchildren. We will miss him, but will cherish all the great memories over the years🙏🏻
Kenny & Debra Nair
Mark Duncan
Scott & Amber Nair-Quesenberry
Sorry for the loss in the family and prayers for everyone.
As a daily patron to his restaurant I will always miss Angelo. He was a special person. He would always greet my table with a great big Smile. He has always been great to my nnhs class as we meet there every month. We will always appreciate him and his kindness and his hospitality. Rip Angelo.
RIP Angelo! You will surely be missed by so many. Thank you for providing my family a great place to eat and enjoy the fellowship of friends and neighbors! Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family in this difficult time.
Sending my condolences to the family
My heart goes out to the Angelo’s family whom he adored so much. It was a personal blessing to know this good man as a friend! You are in my thoughts and prayers as I pray you are experiencing God’s sustaining grace in a powerful way at this time.
Angelo was such a lovely man. Real “Salt of the Earth” .
We are heartbroken to hear of his passing. We are blessed and better people for knowing him. May the Lord comfort his family now and forever more.
Jeff, Karen, Josh and Joe
A great man, loved his customers. Mr. Angelo treated everyone the same, greeted every customer and appreciated every customer like family. I have been a customer since 1983 and remain a faithful customer to this day. My condolences to his family. May his memory and lessons last forever. God bless you for the life of Mr. Angelo, thank you for sharing him with our Community and the great city of Newport News.
We are so very sorry for the loss of such a friend to the Peninsula and surrounding communities. Please know that your family is in our hearts and prayers. We sincerely hope the “Angelo’s Tradition “ will continue.
Nia, our sympathies to you and your family. May his memory be eternal.
Oh sweet Theodorogiannis family….may his memory be ETERNAL!
To Mr. Angelo and his family Mr. Angelo always made my day at the restaurant when I would come in with my family he always made me so happy
Thoughts and prayers for everyone. He will be greatly missed. Teresa and her Dad who everyone thinks they are husband and wife.
Sending lots of prayers and gobs of love and hugs! Use as needed. With him from the very beginning of Angelo’s. He will be greatly missed.
He was such a Wonderful and caring man. Please accept our sincere condolences.
Myself and my family enjoyed Angelos hospitality for many years. He was an outgoing and compassionate man who always had positive things to say to us when we visited his restaurant. We will miss his warm, smile, thoughtfulness, and outgoing personality. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
It is with a heavy heart ❤️ that my condolences go out to your family and friends during this difficult time. Fly high friend 🧡 until we meet again
Life is short! In this life, we are occasionally blessed with a person who is almost like an angel kind, generous, patient, loving, and in general, just a person with a good heart and a sense of purpose my husband and I found that in Angelo. We often frequent Angelo’s restaurant and Angela would be there with his welcoming smile. Condolences to the family Angelo rest in peace a well deserved rest indeed.🙏
So sorry for your loss, Nia and family. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers. I don’t know if you remember me Nia but when ya’ll owned Angelo’s in Smithfield my family came in there alot on Sundays after church. We had a infant son (1975) that you would carry around while we ate. I can see Angelo peeking out of the kitchen now with a smile on his face!
In Loving Memory, for our Dear Friend Angelo and His Family,
Our hearts were crushed when we heard the sad news about Angelo, and our hearts goes out to this family in that God provides all of you comfort, strength, and healing to get through the days ahead.
We can still see your smiling face that always grinned when we walked through the door of your restaurant. I have know this family since I was ten (10) years old. My Dad Gary would take me there to eat and we would sit at the counter top and /or in one of the booths up front, my favorite place. When I got older, I continued to support this business in that the food was awesome, very reasonable priced, and I got to know the family who are very genunine people. I even got to know several waitresses and I had no problem going in this restaurant to eat by myself because I always had a friend there that I could talk and make me feel welcome. Even when we moved up the road, we still came back to eat there, it’s just something about good food and good people that a person wants to be surrounded by. What a blessing you and your family have been to this community. Your family has a way of making all of your customers a part of the family, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Even though this was a shock, I’m assuming that God said that it was your timing to come home and be with him.
Your Life here on Earth has ended and your Life in Heaven has just begun! Rejoice in the LORD and reunite with all your loved ones! We will see you on the other side.
Friendship is a gift from GOD that dwells within our hearts and gives us a special lift. I can say that I am very thankful that GOD brought Angelo and his family into our lives and for the friendship we shared and the memories we created.
Those special memories will always bring a smile to our faces and even though you are not here on Earth, we will miss you dearly and you will forever live in our hearts, until we meet again!
Although we know it’s true that you are no longer here with us, it’s going to be really weird coming into the resturant and knowing that we will never see you anymore. We know you will be there in SPIRIT! Oh yeah, we will still continue to support the Family Business, not to worry!
We love yall guys and girls – Family and All Workers
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A little something to think about: As you waste your breath complaining about life, someone out there is breathing their last, appreciate what you have and take time to thank GOD for the blessings he has provided for you.
Don’t forget to show kindness and love to others. Your words might be filling the empty places in someone’s heart.
He will be missed
We will miss Angelo when we go to the restaurant 😭. He always came over and made sure everything was ok. Always had. A great smile.
Bless the family.
RIP ANGELO.
I knew Angelo for more than 25 years, not as a close friend, just as one of his customers at the restaurant. But that was the key to his humanity. He treated everyone who came into the restaurant as a friend. Always a glowing smile, a greeting or a wave of the hand, sometimes even an extended conversation if he had time, which was not often. He was a true American – hard worker, devoted family man, brilliant businessman, and a real patriot. His loss extends far behind family and close friends. May his memory be a blessing. Dr. Anthony R. Santoro, President Emeritus, Christopher Newport University.
We enjoyed the food and hospitality at Angelo’s so very many times.
He will be missed by so very many.
he will be missed…….
This is a huge loss for the family and the community. God be with you all.
To Nia and family, I am so very sorry for your loss…I have lasting memories working at the Smithfield restaurant many years ago and remember how yall looked after
Me during a difficult pregnancy and allowed me to continue working…May God comfort you all during this time, and know many are praying for all of you
What a loss for the Peninsula! My husband and I started going there in 1984.
He always greeted everyone and stayed to chat when he had the time. We also had several special occasions there in the back rooms over the years. He would always check in to make sure that everything was going ok. He truly was an institution! All of you are in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless!
Dear Nia and Family, I had the blessing of knowing Angelo and you, Nia way back in the late 1970 and early 1980’s. I worked at Sammy and Nick’s in Smithfield as a waitress and was entrusted to babysit Zoe several times. Time has past but my thoughts and heart has remained. I am so very sorry for this great loss. I know and trust than Angelo is in heaven and awaits us all. My prayers and love are with you all.
We will miss you so much!! We’ve eaten at Angelo’s as a family for the last 16 years…Angelo would always see our Anna and always made it a point to come see her. He had ALWAYS been an amazing person and we have always had the pleasure of having our family breakfast at his restaurant!! Your family is in our prayers!! Brian and Laura Sharpe
He left his mark on all our hearts. Will always see his smile . My friend and i loved his conversation every friday for yrs. Condolance to his family.
My heart is aching for Angelo’s family.
I pray for this tremendous loss that they’re going through.
Even though I only been here three years I felt the warmth kindness and caring heart from Nia and I feel very sad for her and the rest of the family.
I also pray for strength for Costas as I’m sure he will need it on a daily basis at Angelo’s Restaurant. I’m sure he feels as if he lost his right hand man.
The few times that I met Costas she’s big smile makes you feel like you have knowing him forever.
Καλό Παράδεισο Angelo as we say in Greek☦️💜🙏❤️
So sorry for your loss, he was a nice man.
Nia and family,
My deepest sympathy for you and your family at this most difficult time.
I met and worked for Angelo at his restaurant in Smithfield, Sammy & Nick’s.
So sad to hear this.
My heart is heavy for your loss. Angelo was always so kind to me. May God rest his soul and wrap his loving arms around his family. May his memory be eternal.
To the family of Mr. Angelo,
Please accept our heartfelt condolences during this difficult time. Mr. Angelo was truly a blessing to True Victory Ministries and to the entire community. We held our monthly men’s meetings at his restaurant, and he always welcomed us with kindness, love, and generosity. He was a thoughtful man whose warm spirit and genuine care for people made a lasting impact on all of us.
His presence, hospitality, and support will never be forgotten. We pray that God will strengthen and comfort your family during this season of grief and surround you with His peace, love, and grace.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4
Our prayers are with you all,
With love and sympathy, in Jesus name.
The Men of True Victory Ministries