Eleftheria "Terry" Fotiou

Beloved mother and grandmother, Eleftheria “Terry” Fotiou, entered into eternal rest at the age of 82 on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends after a long battle with COPD.

Eleftheria was born and raised on the small, remote Greek island of Ikaria. The island is known for its natural beauty and for being a “Blue Zone,” home to some of the highest life expectancies in the world.

She and her late husband, Nikolaos Fotiou, immigrated from Greece directly to Burlington, North Carolina in June 1977, where they remained for the rest of their lives. After very humble beginnings, they were blessed to be able to serve Burlington’s residents daily with home-cooked meals from several restaurants over the years such as Nick’s Cafe, Mayberry’s Ice Cream Parlor, Yhano’s Cafe, and University Grill.

Known as “Yiayia,” the traditional Greek name for grandmother, by her family and their friends, she loved and was fiercely devoted to her family above all else. She was a truly selfless person, never measuring success or happiness by what she had done in life, but instead by what her children and grandchildren accomplished, as they mattered the most to her.

Her favorite pastimes included working outside in the garden tending to her impressive collection of plants, flowers and vegetables, and baking Greek desserts for her loved ones. She was a devout Greek Orthodox Christian that took everyday as a blessing and believed that all things would be taken care of through the grace of God. Some of her favorite memories in life were traveling back to Greece for summer vacations, watching her children graduate college and start families of their own, and being there for all of her grandchildren’s births, extracurricular activities, and milestones.

She is survived by her three children: Eleni Fotiou-Madren and her husband Rodney along their three children, Evi, Lucas and Natalie; Menelaos Fotiou and his son Niko; and George Fotiou and his wife Kam.

A service to celebrate her life will be held at 11:00am on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church with the burial to follow at Pine Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5-7pm on Tuesday at Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the COPD Foundation. https://www.copdfoundation.org/

We will always carry your memory in our hearts and strive to continue to make you proud.