Sam Fatsis

Madison- Sam Fatsis, age 101, passed away at his home on Valentines Day, Friday, February 14, 2025 in the addition that be built with his own hands, after completing his favorite meal of mashed potatoes and gravy, surrounded by his family. He was born in Madison on July 10, 1923, the third child of Nicolas and Katerina (Touropoulou) Fatsis, both immigrants from Greece that met each other in Milwaukee and moved to Madison.

Sam grew up in the first settlement neighborhood at 137 S. Franklin Street and attended Doty School and Central High School in Madison. He was drafted shortly after high school graduation in 1942. Sam soon entered combat in the Ardennes, Belgium, and Germany, as a member of Company B, 10th Infantry, as a PE Rifleman.

Sam re-enlisted in the US Air Force and spent time in Seoul, South Korea during the conflict working as a mechanic on propeller and jet engines. While stationed in San Francisco, CA, a city he said he never wanted to leave, Sam came back to Madison on furlough and met “the love of his life,” Anna. Anna was a beautiful, shy, country girl from Greece who had just arrived in Madison and who was sponsored by friends of the family. Anna Adams (Adamopoulous) and Sam got along well and it was beneficial that Sam still kept his Greek language skills and this impressed Anna. So, before long, Sam requested a transfer to Madison, which still had an Air Force base at the time and when the base transitioned to an Air Guard Unit, Sam spent the next 35 years working with the Air Guard.

Sam and Anna bought a home in Madison and raised three sons, Nick, Telly, and Steve, and became members of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, never leaving behind their Greek heritage. Sam continued his hobbies of home repair and woodworking at home and became the church’s unofficial go-to-guy for any kind of repair or renovation work there. Church life itself became the focal point for the Fatsis family, as both religion and culture blended into one. Most of all, the friendships and family gatherings that the church provided became the fountain of Sam and Anna’s life together.

One of Sam’s greatest prides through was working alongside and helping his son, Telly, when the second of his three sons decided to re-open Cleveland’s Lunch, which had been his old hangout place in his youth growing up on S. Franklin Street. Sam worked with sons, Telly and Nico, every morning until the late afternoon at the re-opened Cleveland’s Diner, which later became the Plaka Taverna, from the age of 73 to well into his 90’s. Sam truly loved chatting and having a cup of coffee with friends he would meet there. It was a lifesaver for someone who needed to stay busy (like Sam), whose agility with tools and sharp things were failing.

Sam is survived by his wife of 68 years, Anna; three sons, Nick (Carol), Telly (Beth) and Steven (Christy) Fatsis; grandchildren, Kayle, Ellis, Samantha, Dimitri, and Echo; great grandchildren, Kiya, Connor, Alexander and Vincent. He was preceded in death by his parents; and siblings, Gus, Sofia, and Georgia Fatsis.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, February 24, 2025 at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 11 N. 7th Street, Madison, with the Very Rev. Father Christodoulos Margellos presiding. Friends and relatives are invited to a luncheon, immediately following, in the church fellowship hall. Burial, with full Military honors, will follow the luncheon and take place in Forest Hill Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church to the Capital Improvement fund.

A special thank you to all our former Cleveland’s Diner/Plaka Taverna customers who remember Sam, especially Patty, Lynette, Gary, Jerry, Nancy, Laura, Sandy, and Kenton. We will all miss Sam but we will savor the many days you spent with our old timer, Sam, even more.

Please share your memories of Sam by posting in his Guestbook.

Cress Funeral Service

3610 Speedway Road, Madison

(608) 238-3434