WORCESTER-Vasilios “William” Tsoules, 90, of Worcester and St. Petersburg, FL, died Monday, November 15th in UMass-Memorial Hospital surrounded by his family. He leaves his beloved wife of 62 years, Athena (Drapos) Tsoules, a son, Evans and his wife Irene Tsoules of Worcester, two daughters, Mary Tsoules of Framingham and Diane wife of Thomas Fitzpatrick of Worcester, a sister, Penelope, wife of George Koulisis of Athens, Greece, six grandchildren, Christina, wife of Jeffrey Soriano of Providence, William Tsoules of Cambridge, Michael Tsoules of Worcester, Athena Fitzpatrick of New York City, and Matthew and Nicole Fitzpatrick both of Worcester. A son, James died in 1954 and two brothers and two sisters predeceased him.
He was born in Epirus, Greece the son of Anastasios and Eleni (Soteriou) Tsoules. Mr. Tsoules attended schools on the Island of Corfu, Greece, and came to the United States at the age of 17 to join his father. Shortly after, he established the Soda Shoppe, later called the Webster House Restaurant in Worcester with his partner Gregory Mitsis. He owned the restaurant for 42 years, retiring in 1977. Mr. Tsoules was a World War 2 Army veteran serving with the combat engineers. In retirement, he volunteered his time with the Worcester branch of SCORE, assisting many new small business owners. He enjoyed traveling, gardening and vigorous walks. Mr. Tsoules was a member of St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and in 1986 he and his wife were honored by the parish and the Boston Diocese as parishioners of the year. He was a founding member of the cathedral's Senior Citizens group, a member of the order of A.H.E.P.A. and the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Association, and was a founder of its Massachusetts chapter.
The funeral is Thursday, November 18th from O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue with a service at 10:00 AM in St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 102 Russell Street. Burial will be in Hope Cemetery. Calling hours are Wednesday, November 17th from 5:00 until 8:00 PM in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the U.S. Prader-Willi Syndrome Association, 5700 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, FL 34242 or the Holy Cross School of Theology, 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445-7496.