1942 - 2023
Rodopi Andrews (née Papadopoulos) passed away on February 9, 2023, shortly before midnight,
in her bedroom at her adult family home in Renton, Washington, after a long struggle with lung cancer
and COPD.
Rodopi was one-of-a-kind. Her friends have often described her as “fierce,” “a force of nature,” a
“loving and loyal friend,” and “a head-turner.” She was a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a
businesswoman, and a yiayia to her three grandchildren.
Born in Athens, Greece in 1942, she was able to speak five languages and earned her high school diploma at the Arsakeio School in Athens. She was not one to sit idly by when she witnessed injustice. As an infant in Nazi-occupied Athens, her diapers would often carry notes that would be passed back and forth as members of the Greek Resistance would take turns holding her. This spirit of resistance against injustice carried on in school when she snatched a ruler from the headmistress who was punishing children with it. Rodopi chased the teacher out of the class with the ruler.
Shortly after high school, Rodopi married her husband, Nick Andrews, and moved to the
United States, where she spent the majority of her life at her home on Mercer Island, where she raised
her family, and worked with her husband and children to build and grow their family business.
Rodopi had a zest for life. She loved to travel and would take her boys on annual summer trips
back home to Greece where they’d tour the countryside and islands. She loved Greek beaches and Greek soap operas. She could hold court in any conversation on any topic and would love to spend long hours with friends and family over a beautiful multi-course meal that she had prepared from scratch. She had a saying that was often quoted, "When I'm good I'm good, but when I'm bad I'm better."
Rodopi is survived by her son, Vasili Andrews; grandson, Niko Andrews; granddaughter, Lily Andrews; grandson, Owen Andrews; and daughter-in-law, Jessica Andrews. Rodopi was preceded in death by her son Demetri Andrews; her husband Nick Andrews; her partner Petros Kotopolos; her siblings Michalis Papadopoulos and Anastasia Biakis; and her parents Eleftherios Papadopoulos and Vasilliki Koustsouradi.
The family of Rodopi will be holding a viewing and a funeral service in her honor. The viewing
will be from 10 am-5 pm at the chapel at Evergreen Washelli at 11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, with a
Trisagion blessing at 3 pm. The funeral service will be held at Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in
Seattle on Tuesday, February 21st at 11:00 a.m., followed by a makkaria luncheon and reception, and
then the burial at Evergreen Washelli at 2 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Rodopi's memory to “Expect A Miracle” ℅ A. Schmidt, 975 Aberdeen Ave NE, #E-202, Renton, WA, 98056, or to Doctors Without Borders.
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