Tom Zanetos

Zanetos Tom Zanetos. Anthony-Thomas co-founder Tom Zanetos, 93, of Upper Arlington, passed away October 24, 2013 at Riverside Hospital. He was born in Columbus on April 24, 1920 to Greek immigrants Anthony and Lula Zanetos. Tom served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he and his father, Anthony Zanetos, started Anthony's Confectionery which served ice cream, candy and had a soda fountain. Times were bad, and sugar was rationed and other ingredients were hard to come by. But since veterans could get a 30,000-pound annual allotment of sugar, Tom became a valuable asset and instant partner with his dad. Together they opened the Crystal Fountain at 1022 W. Broad St., serving a light lunch fare, ice cream and candy. The candy business grew faster than the soda fountain, so the father-son team made candy a full-time trade. Using their first names, they formed the Anthony-Thomas Candy Co. in 1952. He built the business up, presided over its three expansions on Broad Street and eventual move to the company's current 152,000-square-foot factory at 1777 Arlingate Lane. He was an active member and served on the Board of the Retail Confectioners International. During this time, he married Agnes Squeo on Sept. 29, 1941, and after 50 years of marriage they renewed their vows at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral on September 29, 1991. Tom was very philanthropic and believed in community service. He was among the earlier pioneers of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, which his father helped found, and is considered one of the founders of the Columbus Greek Orthodox Community. He chaired the 75th anniversary of the church and the commemorative album for the 25th anniversary of the Greek Festival in 1997. He received the Small Businessman of the Year for the State of Ohio. He and his wife received the Christopher Columbus Educational Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for scholarship money they gave year after year. They were noted in the Columbus Dispatch for their generosity. He served on the Franklinton Commission, the Franklinton Board of Trade, the Columbus Countywide Development Corp. and served on a city task force under several mayors. He also owned and cleaned up several properties around Franklinton, served as Cancer Crusader Chairman, and was a member of Kiwanis. Surviving are his sons, Anthony of Hilliard, Joe (Carol) of Upper Arlington, Greg of Columbus, and Tim of Dublin; grandchildren, Carla (Steve) Scully, of Hilliard, Candi (Michael) Trifelos of Upper Arlington, Tommy and Mike Zanetos of Columbus; great-grandchildren, John, Sam, Joey and Mikey Scully of Hilliard, and Nicholas, Mark and Alex Trifelos of Upper Arlington; sisters, Beulah Trotter of Columbus, and Frankie Collaros of Steubenville; sisters-in-law, Nikki Zanetos of Delaware, Ohio, and Kathryn Squeo of Columbus; and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Agnes Squeo Zanetos, and brothers Nick and John Zanetos. Tom's family will receive friends on Sunday, October 27, 2013, from 4-8 p.m., at THE JOHN QUINT TREBONI FUNERAL HOME, 1177 West Fifth Avenue, Columbus, with the Trisagion at 7:30 p.m. Funeral 10 a.m. Monday, October 28, 2013 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 555 N. High St., with Father Demetrios Gardikes, Presiding. Entombment will follow at the Union Cemetery Mausoleum, 3349 Olentangy River Road. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Greek Orthodox Church. Condolences may be sent via www.johnquint.com.