John Strates

Mr. John Strates (Ioannis Stravomitis) passed away peacefully on February 26, 2021. John was born on February 8, 1940 in Lithoxori, Evrytania, Greece.

He was preceded in death by his parents Panagiotis and Maria Stravomitis of Greece; brothers: Ilias, Chris, George; and sister, Christina Tsiakos (Vaios). John is survived by his loving wife of fifty-four years, Elizabeth Ballas Strates (of Marathia, Greece); his daughter, Maria and husband Apostolos Tsigas of Clemmons; son, Peter J. and wife Spyridoula Strates of Winston Salem; grandchildren: Christos and Amalia Tsigas, and Elisa and Zoe Strates of Winston Salem. He is also survived by his brothers Gus (Vasiliki) Strates, Paul (Despina) Strates, and sister-in-law Eleni Strates of Winston Salem, brothers in law Gregory (Maria) Ballas and John (Penny) Ballas of Winston-Salem, and multiple nephews and nieces.

After immigrating to the United States in 1967 at the age of 27, John immediately started working in the restaurant business at Sam's Gourmet Restaurant and through hard work, established with his brothers and brother-in-law, The Barbecue House, Dixie Pig Barbecue, Duke's Restaurant, Westtown Restaurant, and Westtown Eatery and Express, with his son and son-in-law. John attended the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church almost every Sunday, where he was very active within the community and loved assisting at the Greek Festival as much as possible. He enjoyed the Evrytanian Association of America (Velouchi) and his daily coffee visits with his brothers and best friends at McDonalds. His sweet character, laid back demeanor, and selfless love will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

The Trisagion and Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, March 1, 2021, at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, with Fr. George Kouzelis officiating. The interment will follow at Forsyth Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 435 Keating Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27104. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.