Peter William Saffo

PETER WILLIAM SAFFO Peter William Saffo, 62, of Hampstead, N.C., fell asleep in the Lord in the hope of the Resurrection at Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care on January 17, 2020 in the loving presence of family and friends. He succumbed to an aggressive and rare form of kidney cancer after a valiant seven- month struggle. The son of the late William Peter and Angeline Batuyios Saffo, Peter was born in Athens, Greece on November 8, 1957 and was a life-long resident of the greater Wilmington area. He attended Forest Hills Elementary School, Cape Fear Academy, and Hoggard High School, class of 1976. His work career involved a variety of different endeavors. Starting out as an insurance salesman, he then owned and operated L.U. Carriers (a long-distance trucking company), after which he assumed proprietorship of the Snak Mart which later became the Sunrise Breakfast House on the corner of north Market St. and Gordon Rd. For the past several years, he was the accountant for Saffo Contractors, a job that suited him perfectly, given that from childhood he had a special talent with numbers. Peter was a devoted husband and father, and a dedicated communicant of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. As a youth, he served as an altar boy and, as an adult, he was a member of the parish council, most significantly in the office of Treasurer. He was also a member of the Wilmington Chapter Therma #10 of the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood of America, an organization founded by Greek immigrants from his parents' ancestral island of Icaria. He is survived by his wife, Kim Brookshire Saffo, his daughter, Chloe, his son and daughter-in-law, William (Billy) and Jessie Saffo and their two sons, Nicholas and Ben. Also left to cherish his memory is his sister, Kay Saffo Skandalakis of Wilmington and her daughters, Joanna Skandalakis of Orlando,FL and Angelique Simpson (Louis) and children, Mia and Everett, together with numerous aunts and uncles and many cousins. Over the course of his life, especially during the past twenty years, Peter committed the entirety of his being to Christ and grew into a person of strong and unwavering faith. It was this faith that enabled him to establish his priorities in their proper order, this faith that guided his steps and directed his actions, this faith that gave him the steadfast conviction and blessed assurance that a new life awaited him beyond this earthly one; a new life of divine peace, boundless grace, and infinite love in the arms of his Savior and Redeemer, the Risen Lord, who will be his everlasting light. A funeral service will be held at 12 Noon Saturday, January 25, 2020, at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 608 South Road, with Fr. Steven Klund, Fr. Regis Alexoudis, and Deacon Tom Fernandez officiating. Interment will follow at Oleander Memorial Gardens, 306 Bradley Dr. at Bradley Creek. Pallbearers will be Bill Batuyios, John Capra, Robert Diab, Mayor Bill Saffo, Nick Saffo, and Dr. Louis Kantounis. Visitation will take place at Andrews Mortuary Market Street Chapel,1617 Market St. Wilmington from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Friday, January 24, 2020 with a Trisagion prayer service at 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts and contributions be made in Peter's name to NHRMC Foundation (2001 South 17th St. Wilmington, NC 28401) in honor of the excellent care Peter received at the Zimmer Cancer Center; or to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 608 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403 (in the name of Peter Saffo). Condolences may be sent to the family at www.andrewsmortuary.com