Alexandros Antoniou
We are saddened to announce the death of our father, Alexandros Antoniou on November 16, 2023.
Alexandros Antoniou was born December 4, 1944 in Ermoupoli, on the island of Sryos in the Kyklades, Greece. His parents were Renos Antoniou and Argyro Nikitidou, an accomplished artist whose many oil paintings focused primarily on scenes of Greece.
Taking the practical from his father and the creative from his mother, Alex was an engineer by trade and a dreamer and builder at heart. And of course, he was always working to outsmart the system! Alex was also a teller of tales. So many stories, with the truth lying somewhere in between the twinkle in his eye and his mischievous smile and jokes!
Alexandros grew up in Athens having his boyhood fun amongst the ruins with close friends. He became a sailor and (as the story goes) “jumped ship” after his first encounter with a Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. It was scary enough to land him in the United States at Galveston, Texas. In the U.S., he went into the Merchant Marines, becoming a Third Officer and pursued his education studying Marine Engineering and Transportation at Texas A&M University and SUNY in New York. He received his B.S., General Sciences and Technology, at the University of Indiana.
He started his commercial career at Amoco Oil in Texas City, working his way up to become a Chief Inspector of Engineering. After 10 years, he was offered the “opportunity of a lifetime” to go to work in Saudi Arabia at the Berri Gas Plant, Dhahran for Saudi Aramco. During his time with Aramco, he held roles of Manager of Inspection, Maintenance Superintendent, Engineering Specialist Supervisor, and Superintendent of Engineering.
But his time in Saudi, was not all work and no play! He reminisced fondly of those years in Saudi Arabia and told so many stories of his dear friends, spirited parties, and adventurous fishing trips with friends.
After his retirement, he returned to live in Greece and built his beautiful home in Athens. But he was drawn back to work and happily took on another project in Kazakhstan where he worked in the construction of oil and gas facilities.
He finally settled into his true Greek retirement and lifestyle but found himself working harder than ever on his own projects! From scattered stone and rubble, he rebuilt his family home in Chios, Greece – to true historical spec! And then spent his time, building out a spectacular garden in his Athens home complete with fruit trees and verandas with sprawling city views. He was constantly creating and building new features in his homes. He also loved to spend time in the sea, with friends from the world far and wide, and always enjoyed a local spearfishing trip. He worked hard at learning to play the organ and always stopped to admire the trees and flowers!
Alex was an only child who is survived by his three daughters in the United States, Ntina Antoniou in New York, Cathy Antoniou-Hall and her family in Houston, and Alexandra Antoniou, in Washington, DC. He will be missed by all his family in Greece, the many friends he made around the world, and his cat Pitsipina.