Andreas Dionyssiou, who was equally at ease greeting guests at the family business, Rudy’s Hot Dog, growing figs and cucumbers in his garden, and hunting big game, died Thursday in his Sylvania Township home. He was 88.

He developed complications of prostate cancer, his daughter, Paula, said. He continued to help out at Rudy’s until early June.

“He loved to work and loved to see people, and he loved to care for them,” his daughter said. “He couldn’t stop working.”

Mr. Dionyssiou and his brother, Harry, were partners and co-presidents since 1960 of the enterprise, founded by their uncles Rudy and Gus Poturedes 40 years earlier. The Dionyssiou brothers were born in Sysklipos in Cyprus before immigrating to Cyprus according to the book Greek Cypriots Worldwide a directory of who’s who.

Under the watch of Andy, as he was known, and Harry, Rudy’s Hot Dog expanded to six locations, with a different family member in charge of each.

“He was energetic and a true businessman,” said his nephew Kip Proestou, who is in charge of the Rudy’s in Point Place. “He tried to keep the family together all the time, that was his main goal. That’s why for every restaurant, he put a nephew or a son or daughter. He kept us all together.”

Through the years Mr. Dionyssiou brought siblings and nephews to Toledo in Ohio, USA from his native Cyprus, including Mr. Proestou.

The Sylvania Avenue location was home base for Mr. Dionyssiou and his brother. He took care of ordering and other business functions. He liked to help his daughter during lunch at the Monroe Street Rudy’s, which she runs.

“He loved greeting people. As soon as people would walk in, his smile was infectious,” she said.

He’d gardened as a boy with his father on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where he grew up. He had to walk up a mountain, away from their village, to irrigate the vegetables, grapevines, olive trees, and fig trees.

“I could hardly wait to do it,” he told The Blade in 2010. “It’s like a miracle.”

As a husband, father, and business owner, he resumed gardening at the family’s home on Revere Drive in West Toledo and, later in Sylvania Township — where he bought additional space for his garden.

He grew jasmine, gardenias, roses, lilies. He had grapevines and planted tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash — some of which grew more than 2 feet long and weighed 50 pounds — beets, okra, and onions.

He had fig trees from Cyprus and Portugal and, some years, harvested 40 pounds of fruit.

“The squirrels eat some figs, but they’re my friends,” he told The Blade. “I feed them nuts and bread. I tell them to stay away from my fig trees in Greek and English; maybe they’ll learn to speak Greek.”

He shared his bounty with other friends and with relatives.

At Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, he helped oversee cooking for church functions and was a former parish council president.

He also was a member of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.

“He wanted to give back in so many ways,” his daughter said.

Mr. Dionyssiou found the pursuit of big game to be relaxing, said his nephew Kip, one of several family members and friends who accompanied him on expeditions to western states, Alaska, and Canada.

Over the years he bagged elk, caribou, wild boar, antelope, moose, bear. Several trophies are on display at the Rudy’s on Sylvania. President Obama, when visiting the restaurant in June, 2011, commented on Mr. Dionyssiou’s hunting skill, the restaurateur’s daughter said.

He was a Mason and belonged to the Zenobia Shrine. He was a member of Conn Weissenberger American Legion Post 587.

For more than 45 winters, he and his wife spent time at their condominium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

He was born Nov. 26, 1928, to Polexeni and Dionyssios Hadgiharalambou on Cyprus, then a British colony, and immigrated with his brother to Toledo in 1948.

He was an Army veteran and became a citizen in January, 1953.

His son, Daniel, died June 25, 2016.

Surviving are his wife, the former Joan Richardson, whom he married July 24, 1951; daughter, Paula Dionyssiou; brother, Harry Dionyssiou; four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 2-9 p.m. Monday in the Ansberg-West Funeral Home, with Trisagion prayers at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral

The family suggests tributes to Holy Trinity.

Blade.com

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