John Christofilis

John Christofilis, age 76, of Holt, MI, fell asleep in the arms of the Lord on Monday, November 27th, 2017 at his home.

He was born on August 30, 1941, in Kerastari, Greece, to Efstratios and Christina Christofilis. John was raised in his home village, along with his nine siblings, until he moved to Athens in 1962, where he served in the military as captain. Upon his return, with the help of his older brother Panayiotis, he opened and operated a textile mill in Athens.

The bond he had with his large family would help chart his path throughout life – – a path which led John to travel to the United States in 1967 on the invitation of his older brother, Jim. John always understood that the cornerstone of the American dream was hard work, and he wasted no time in fulfilling that dream with his first job at Fisher Body.

The time eventually came when John was ready to take the risks and reap the rewards of getting into business for himself. In 1979, he and his close friend, Louis Vlahakis, purchased and operated the Golden Gate restaurant in Lansing, which they owned together until 1991. It was during those years that John made the most important decision of his life when he traveled back to Greece to meet Glykeria Vlantonopoulos. After a whirlwind romance, the two married in 1975 and made their home in Holt. Life moved fast for the young couple as they welcomed the arrival of their first daughter, Christina, the following year, and the birth of their second daughter, Elaine, one year later. Several years after that, their third daughter, Demetra, was born.

With the Christofilis family roots growing in the community, the next challenge arrived with their decision to open a new restaurant, the Delhi Cafe, in 1992. The establishment, lovingly run by John and his family, has become part of the bedrock of the Holt community for the past 25 years.  After the passing of his wife, he continued along with his loving daughters, Elaine and Demetra, the dream that he had begun with her.

Customers could always expect to see John sitting at the round table near the entrance of the restaurant to welcome them, day after day. It was a family restaurant not only because of the families that were served, but principally because of the family that welcomed those who entered – – a family led by John. For the thousands who were touched by John and Glykeria’s kindness and hospitality over the years, life may go on, but it will never be quite the same.

He enjoyed the simple, good things in life.  Tending to his yard and garden, Greek politics, and spending time with loved ones. His contagious smile will be missed by many.

John’s journey from a small Greek village to the Holt community concluded on Monday with his return to his beloved wife and to the Lord. May his memory be eternal.

He is survived by his daughters, Christina (John) Economopoulos of Escanaba, and Elaine and Demetra Christofilis, both of Holt; 3 grandchildren, Glykeria, Harekleia, and Christos Economopoulos; and his siblings, Panayiotis (Maria) Christofilis, Giorgios Christofilis, Elpinki Stavropoulos, Yiannoula Makris, Panayiota Kopelas of Greece and Stavroula (Nicholas) Kyriakopoulos, of Chicago.  He is survived by many more beloved family, many dear friends and koumbaroi. He was preceded in death by: his parents; his wife, Glykeria; his brothers, Dimitrios and Evangelos Christofilis; and his sister, Styliani Tzioumis.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, December 4^th, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1701 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, with Father Mark Sietsema, Ph.D., officiating.  Interment will follow at the Maple Ridge Cemetery in Holt.  The family will receive friends at the Estes-Leadley Holt/Delhi Chapel, on Sunday, December 3^rd, from 4-8 p.m. with a Trisagion Service at 7:30 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in memory of John Christofilis.