Dr. Anthony "Tony" Theodorou's Obituary
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the peaceful passing of Dr. Anthony “Tony” Theodorou, 85. He was called home by the Lord on February 3, 2026 in Redlands, California leaving a legacy behind of being a devoted servant of the Lord and a loving husband, father, papou, uncle, godfather, teacher, mentor and friend to many.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 59 years, Georgia (Maroutsos) Theodorou, his children George & Georgia (Angelos) Theodorou, Nick & Areti (Zois) Theodorou and his four grandchildren who he cherished, Anthony, Nicole, George, and Antony.
Tony was born on September 21, 1940 in Farrell, Pennsylvania to George & Eva Theodorou. At a young age, the family moved to Aliquippa, Pennsylvania where he spent the remainder of his childhood and teenage years. His father, George, owned a local restaurant called "Famous" and he talked about how he would spend his days with the local kids playing baseball near his home. At the age of 16, Tony moved with his family to Rialto, California seeking better weather and to be near his brother and family.
Shortly after arriving in California, his father became ill and this changed the trajectory of his life as he had recently been accepted to UCLA in the aeronautical engineering program. Determined to stay near home, Tony enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College for two years where he identified his affinity for the sciences and helping people. At the age of 19, shortly after his father’s death, he was accepted to Loma Linda School of Dentistry where he eventually became the school’s youngest ever graduate. He established his own dental practice soon after graduation and kept his practice for 25 years, while also serving as a part time instructor at Loma Linda Dental School for 13 years. When he decided to sell his practice, he assumed a full time Associate Professor role at Loma Linda Dental School for an additional 23 years, retiring in 2009. He was also a long-time member of the Loma Linda Dental School Alumni Association and served as President of the Alumni Association for many years. In all of his years, he greatly enjoyed meeting and helping people. He excelled at teaching and mentoring his dental students passing along the knowledge he learned over the years.
Tony’s faith and service to the Lord as an Orthodox Christian was the key foundation of his life. When he arrived in California in 1956, his family was welcomed with open arms by the Greek Orthodox community of Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in San Bernardino, California. This started his nearly 70-years of involvement with Prophet Elias. During that time, he met and married the love of his life Georgia, baptized his children and godchildren, created lifelong friendships and served the church in various leadership roles. He served on the Parish Council for many years, including serving as the Parish Council President during the Consecration of the Church in 1974. He was also a member of AHEPA and the Founding President of AHEPA 302 Inc. which built a 90-unit senior housing project in San Bernardino in 2009 working in partnership with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, he greatly enjoyed being one of the youth leaders in the church for about 30 years. He was able to mentor many in the youth group at Prophet Elias and also create special memories with the various activities such as camping trips, ski trips, GOYA volleyball and softball tournaments, Christmas caroling, while also preaching the importance of faith, love and academic success.
Tony was also very active in his local community. He was one of the co-founders and Vice Chairman of the Board of Inland Community Bank. The bank focused on providing loans and services to small, multi-generational family businesses and maintained six locations (Rialto, Loma Linda, Duarte, Pasadena, Los Angeles) prior to being acquired in 2012. He coached and raised funds for youth baseball and basketball leagues for about 30 years and coached both of his sons baseball and basketball teams from the early years until high school. Along the way, he coached and mentored many young men not only about sports, but about being a good team member, always being prepared, and the importance of hard work and scholastic achievement. Sports were very important and you could not pull him away from his favorite teams, the Dodgers, UCLA, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tony was extremely devoted to his family. Nothing was more important to him than providing a good life and to take care of his angel on Earth, his wife Georgia, and all of his children and grandchildren. He was an amazing example of what it meant to be a dutiful and loving husband, father, papou, uncle, godfather and friend. We will all miss him greatly, but we are comforted that he is in peace in Heaven with the Lord and his parents, his siblings, his in-laws, his brother & sister in-laws, and his nephew. For all of those that survive him, we feel privileged to have had him in our lives and we are reminded to live our lives in a manner that respects his love and legacy. We all love you and will miss you!
The Trisagion service will be on Wednesday, February 18th at 6:30 pm at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church at 1035 Inland Center Drive, San Bernardino, CA. The Funeral service will be on Thursday, February 19th at 10:00 am at Prophet Elias with a Makaria (Meal of Blessing) immediately following. Burial will follow at 2:00 pm at Green Acres Memorial Park at 11715 Cedar Ave, Bloomington, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tony’s memory to Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, PO Box 311, San Bernardino, CA 92402-0311.
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