John A. Drougas, age 87, a longtime resident of Winchester, passed away on Jan. 2, 2019. He was the beloved husband of the late Bertha “Veta” (Polymenakos) Drougas.
Born in Kalamata, Greece, he was the son of the late Anastasi and Sofia (Vergopoulos) Drougas. Mr. Drougas immigrated to the United States, coming through Ellis Island in 1948. He met the love of his life, Veta, when he was 19 years old and she was 16, and they shared many happy years of marriage until her death in 2010.
In Winchester, where they raised their family, Mr. Drougas was a well-known restauranteur. He owned Randall’s Restaurant in Winchester from 1966-1986, in the building where Lucia’s currently resides, and brought Winchester’s first liquor license to town for that restaurant. He subsequently owned Nick’s Family Restaurant in Tarpon Springs, FL for many years.
John was a member of the Winchester Auxiliary Police for over 15 years, and was also a proud member of the fraternal order of Masons. As a member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Woburn, he served as the Parish Council President for several years.
Mr. Drougas was the loving father of Sofia Koutrobis and her husband John of Quincy, Ernie Drougas and his wife Vicki of Bourne. He was the only surviving sibling of 13, the devoted grandfather of Nico Drougas, Yanni Drougas, Panagiota Athinelis and husband Antoni, Katerina DiCristofalo and husband Justin, Christina Regan and husband Mike and Christos Koutrobis, and the great-grandfather of John Joseph DiCristofalo. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather for Visiting Hours at the Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St., Winchester, on Sunday, Jan. 6th from 2-6PM and again on Monday at 10:30AM, followed by a Funeral Mass in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 70 Montvale Ave., Woburn, at 11:30 AM. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Winchester. If desired, donations in John’s memory may be made to the Hellenic Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 601 Sherman St., Canton, MA 02021.