Soteria P. Stavropoulos was born in 1935 in Aetos, Messinias, a region in the Peloponnese area of Greece, as one of 12 children. She lived through WWII and experienced extreme hardship during the Nazi invasion of Greece. On September 11, 1943, the Nazi's invaded her village, where they burned the family home, as well as the agricultural land that supported the family. Soteria would later nostalgically recount that her entire extended family slept together on the floor of their uncle's home, which survived the burning on the outskirts of the village due to sympathetic Polish soldiers. She also recalled her father working hard to rebuild their home and her mother stitching rags together to keep the children clothed, all while trying to maintain a positive perspective for their family during difficult times.

In 1965, she met her beloved husband, John Thomas Hronis, in Toronto, Canada, where they married, and she then immigrated to the United States. Together with her husband, she managed and maintained two family-owned apartment buildings. During this time, she learned Spanish so she could communicate with her tenants, who loved her. After years of hard work, Soteria, John, John's sister, Virginia Jean, and Virginia's husband, Frederick Paul Burns, all now deceased, purchased together a large family home in the hills of Los Feliz, where many happy memories were made.

Soteria, affectionately known as Mama, loved her church and lived a full, blessed life. During her married years, she enjoyed taking weekend trips with her family to the Grand Canyon, attending Dodger games, visiting Disneyland, and going to Greek festivals around the Los Angeles area. In her final years, Soteria relished spending time with her grandchildren, Stacey and Marcella Hronis, as well as her grandnephew, Konstantine Kiousis, and grandnieces, Stassi Kiousis, and Alexandra and Chrysanthe Smith. In addition, among her happiest moments was a trip to Israel in 2019 with her church family, fulfilling her lifelong dream to visit the Holy Land.

On February 25, 2022, Soteria passed away peacefully shortly after midnight in her home in Los Feliz, California with her devoted daughter, Anna Cesar, and loved ones by her side.

She is survived by her widowed daughter, Anna Cesar of Los Angeles; son Thomas Hronis and his wife, Nectaria, of Chicago; and granddaughters Stacey and Marcella. She is also survived by her niece and nephew, children of her sister, Tassia Kiousis (deceased): Dr. Konstantina Kiousis (living in St. Louis, MO) and Dr. Spiro Kiousis (living in Gainesville, FL), with whom she was very close. She is also survived by her sisters, Olga Taki, Martha Katsabanis and Dimitra Maniatis, as well as her brother, Dimitri Stavropoulos, and his wife Georgia, all of whom live in Athens, Greece. She was predeceased by her husband, John Thomas Hronis, and son-in-law, Ron Austin Cesar. She is also survived by her beloved cat, Condi.

Trisagion at 7:30pm on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Funeral service at 10:30am on Friday, April 1, 2022. Both services held at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1324 Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90006. Officiating is the Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas. Interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 1712 S. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA 91205.

The family would be grateful for donations to either of the following charities in memory of Soteria:

Animals In Need Rescue Network
www.animalsinneedrescuenetwork.org

Kitten Rescue
www.kittenrescue.org

Arrangements under the direction of Chapman Funeral Homes - Terry & Mary Harmon, Funeral Directors. Toll free (855) 628-0447.

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Obituary notice for Chapman Funeral Homes. Please visit www.chapmanfuneraldirectors.com .

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