Vasilios "Bill" Grammenos

Gardner- Vasilios Grammenos, 71, died Sunday, February 26, 2023, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston after a 17 year battle with illness. 

He leaves his wife of 38 years, Frideriki (Poulimenou) Grammenos; one daughter, Sophia Grammenos and her husband Joseph D. Pike of Acton; one brother, Anastasios Grammenos and his wife Anastasia of Sinarades, Corfu, Greece; one brother-in-law, Stamatios Samoilis of Athens, Greece; one sister in law, Sophia Halidia and her deceased husband Napoleon Halidia; and his beloved nieces and nephews Sophia, Eftihios, Nicholas, Aspasia, Dimitra, Diamantoula and Panagioti and their children. He is predeceased by his sister, Eleni Samoilis. 

Vasilios was born in Sinarades, a small village of Corfu, Greece on January 3, 1952 of the late Eftihios and Sophia Grammenos. 

Vasilios was known for being an incredibly hard worker, for his hugs and his passion. He was born in a small village in Greece where he got his first job at 14 years old pumping gas where he slept in a shed there because he couldn't get back and forth from his village but he wanted that job. Then, he traveled the world working on Chandris Lines, now Celebrity Cruise Lines. He loved all parts of that experience - serving food to make others happy and being a good friend to his colleagues; being with the ocean in good and bad weather; and seeing the world - Fiji, Panama, Venezuela, South Africa and more. 

He returned to Greece to serve in the Navy during the Turkey-Cyprus Invasion. After that, he went back to work on cruise ships. He then landed in San Francisco and worked in restaurants there for 7 years. Vasilios went back to Greece and met his wife Frideriki, who is from a neighboring village. They came back to the US for a better life and worked 12 hour days together at their beloved Baldwinville Pizza Barn Restaurant for 34 years. He loved his restaurant - it was not "work" for him. He enjoyed what he did everyday, and that is part of what helped him fight his illness for so many years. He loved his customers and always wanted to make them happy. After retiring in 2020, he worked part-time for fun at the Great Wolf Lodge, where his colleagues said he inspired them with his passion and love. 

Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023 at 11:00AM at St. Spyridon Cathedral, 102 Russell Street, Worcester, MA 01609.

Burial will follow in the Hope Cemetery, 119 Webster Street, Worcester, MA 01603

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 4:00 - 7:00 P.M. in the Mack Funeral Home, 105 Central Street, Gardner, MA 01440. 

To leave an online condolence please visit, www.mackfamilyfh.com

Kevin J. Mack, Walter C. Taylor and Douglas M. Stone, funeral directors.