Louis Nick Foudos passed away peacefully at home on July 10, 2026, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his beloved and cherished wife of 67 years, Helen E. (Maschas) Foudos; his loving daughters and son-in-laws, Orsia Foudos Young (Jay Young) and Despina Foudos Reynolds (George Reynolds); his grandchildren, Elana and Gregory Clautice; and, many nieces, nephews, cousins and Godchildren. Lou was preceded in death by his youngest daughter, Dina, and his three brothers, John, George and James.

Born on the island of Andros, Greece on November 9, 1935, Lou was the youngest of four boys. When he was just nine months old, his father boarded a merchant marine ship to come to America to work to make enough money to bring his family to America. Unfortunately, World War II broke out. Travel became impossible and communication was very difficult. Lou's mother, Orsia (Raisis) Foudos struggled to raise and feed four sons, by herself, on a war-torn remote Greek island. At times all there was to eat was onions, dandelions, and grass. Lou stopped attending school to work for food.

When Lou was 15 years old, the war finally ended and his father was able to bring the family to America. His mother and the boys packed all their belongings and headed to Athens to await a ship to America, where Lou became very sick from the water. His Godfather, an Athens physician told Orsia that Lou may not live through the 2 week voyage to America. Lou's Godfather had been given several precious doses of a brand new drug called penicillin. Little was known about the new drug, but he would give Lou what turned out to be a life saving dose. Lou made it to America. His gift was seeing the Statue of Liberty from the deck of the ship.

The family arrived on Ellis Island where Lou met his father for the very first time. They stopped to get food on the way to Baltimore and Lou fondly remembers eating his first hotdog in his first car ride. The family settled into a small home in Baltimore with another family. Lou and his brothers had three days to get acclimated to a new country before they went to work at his uncle's dry cleaners where he would work alongside his father and brothers before starting their own business, Athens Cleaners, Inc.

One of Lou's proudest achievements was becoming a U.S. Citizen after taking the classes and passing the test with only a 6th grade education.

Following the death of their father, Lou and his brothers substantially grew the business to eventually include men's formal wear, two cleaning plants and multiple store locations. Through hard work and struggle, they were able to truly achieve the American dream. Lou and his brothers were also among the founding and supporting members of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.

The brothers sold the business after 60 years and Lou was able to retire. Lou and Helen enjoyed attending family events, steeplechase races and weekly polo matches. At one such polo match, on a particularly beautiful summer evening, Lou told his son-in-law Jay "If I had known this was what life was like, I would have started living it sooner."

Often when someone passes after a long life, family members lament not having documented their memories. Fortunately, about 10 years ago, prior to the death of his last surviving brother Jimmy, the two brothers sat down to share their remarkable life experiences and memories on video. The brothers spoke about the love and adoration for their mother who had saved their lives through the sometimes unthinkable challenges of the war years. In unison, they called her a saint. Lou got to tell the story of meeting, courting (always accompanied by someone from each family) and marrying Helen, the love of his life for 67 years. He got to tell us of his love for "my three beautiful daughters. They are my life. I live for my kids."

Visitation will be at Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc., 1050 York Road (beltway exit 26) on Thursday July 16, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., where a brief Trisagion Service will be held at 4:30 p.m. Mr. Foudos will lie-in-state at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 2504 Cub Hill Rd., Baltimore, MD 21234, on Friday, July 17, from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m., at which time a funeral service will begin. Interment will immediately follow at St. Demetrios Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.