• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Eleni Gage

Author, Journalist, Pop Folklorist

  • About
  • Books
    • Lucky In Love
    • The Ladies of Managua
    • Other Waters
    • North of Ithaka
  • Blog
  • Articles
    • Travel
    • Essays and Reviews
    • Lifestyle
  • Talks
    • Book Clubs
  • Contact

A Life Less Ordinary

September 3, 2013 by Eleni | 7 Comments

Yesterday morning, while 64-year-old Diana Nyad was swimming from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage, succeeding, on her fifth attempt, in becoming the first person to do so, my  52-year-old cousin Spyro Economou had a massive heart attack at his home and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

All day on Facebook, people were commenting on Nyad’s incredible feat–sharing how inspiring they found her determination, celebrating her hard-won  accomplishment, noting how extraordinary her achievement is.

And all day, on my cousin’s Facebook page, his friends, family, and customers kept sharing how he inspired them, how deeply he has touched their lives. Along with his brother Freddy, Spyro took over his parents’ pizza place, the Westboro House of Pizza, later transforming it into a restaurant named  The Westboro House (or, as he liked to call it WHOP). He never swam to Cuba–it would have never even occured to him to try. But in his role as a business owner, he worked miracles.

“You were a huge contribution to who I became as a person,” wrote one woman on his Facebook wall. “You gave me my first job. Took me out of my shy shell I was hiding in. Gave me confidence. Taught me how to cook. How to dance to James Brown. How to stand up for myself and most importantly how to be sweet, kind, and funny like you. This world is losing an amazing person. You were famous in our little town and have touched the lives of so many people. I will miss you and your ever-so-bright smile.”

“Spyro Economou, you were such a father figure to me,” wrote another. “You gave me advice, looked out for me, and showed me guidance every time I needed it. You made me smile and laugh and made the past five years that much more enjoyable. You were family, I will miss you always, but you will forever be in my heart.”

And another wrote, “If I touch HALF as many lives, w/ half of the love, compassion & laughter, in my lifetime as Spyro in his, I will be the richest woman around.”

As the day went on, people began leaving bouquets of flowers in front of his restaurants’ shuttered doors, creating a shrine for Spyro much like the ones to Princess Diana that sprung up after her death. And then, in a sign of the technological times we live in, others who stopped at the WHOP photographed the tributes, and posted the images on Facebook. “Spyro, did you know how many people you touched?” wrote one such commentator. “People are leaving flowers at WHoP! Amazing statement about you!”

Spyro was amazing–he was funny and smart and kind and capable of so much love. It was almost a natural phenomenon; he gushed love like a geyser. A massive heart attack is cruel and unexpected, but it’s a fitting way for him to go because his heart was truly massive.

When my brother and sister and I were kids, Spyro used to pick us up at school and play Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” on his 8-track. As I’ve been pushing my daughter’s stroller around Miami Beach today, humming the song and crying, I’ve been thinking about how Spyro’s life, in comparison to Diana Nyad’s, or Princess Diana’s, was ordinary–he lived in the same town his whole life, ran a business, busted his friends’ chops.

But the way he touched people’s lives is truly extraordinary. And while Spyro was one-of-the-kind, I know he’s not the only “average” American like this. There are teachers who inspire hundreds of students in the course of an ordinary career, clergy who comfort entire communities before quietly retiring, and other business owners like Spyro who stand behind their bars offering a joke or some company.

I think there should be a word to describe the beauty and the amazement in ordinary things–not just people, but all the every day miracles that surround us. The smell of cut grass, the taste of a really good tomato, or the not-really-that-surprising surprise of walking through the park and coming across a bride and groom taking pictures. If there were such a word, maybe we would be more likely to appreciate the every day miracles as they happen, instead of noticing them in a blinding flash when they’re gone.

Diana Nyad does inspire me–to try harder, to be fitter, to never give up. And Spyro will always inspire me to love and laugh loudly, and more often. I haven’t been able to come up with a word to describe the beauty in ordinary things, but I will try harder to notice them. It’s the best way I can think of to celebrate Spyro’s amazing achievement: his life.

 

Filed Under: death Tagged With: Diana Nyad, Westboro House of Pizza, Worcester

Reader Interactions

(7) Comments

  1. Wally Aldrich says

    September 3, 2013 at 9:27 pm

    Thank you Eleni for summing up Spyro’s life. I grew up behind the WHOP, worked there from 8 years old and was the same age as Spyro. I feel like a Brother to him as I have been visiting with him & Fred and prior to that with Paul & Chris. They were ALL such a big part of our Town here in Westborough. Spyro is one those Friends that will be painfully missed. He was not your normal everyday friend. He was the Friend that would always go the distance with you. The Friend who TRULY cared about you and would do whatever he could to help, weather giving advice or making a donation for a cause. I was a Firefighter for many years in Westborough and went to him on many occasions for donations on whatever cause we had before us and he and Fred were always there to contribute to a worthy cause. I can honestly say I will miss him as a Brother and as a Friend. Please accept our condolensces from our family to yours. And may God bless you all. We feel your pain at this time.

    Reply
  2. Cecilia Temple says

    September 3, 2013 at 10:58 pm

    Thank you Eleni for putting into words,, what so many of us who Sypro has touched, wanted to say. Beautiful words for a beautiful life ! I will always remember when I was battling breast cancer, and having a “good” day after treatment, my husband and I would go in and Spyro and Fred would always ask how I was doing. Our family is blessed to have had Spyro in our lives ! Rest in peace dear friend, You will be deeply missed.

    Reply
  3. Gale says

    September 3, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    Thank you Eleni.. You surely summed it up.. Celebrating Spyro’s love for life is what he would have wanted. This will help me to carry on.. He will forever be in my heart ❤.

    Reply
  4. Kayla Curtis says

    September 4, 2013 at 1:34 am

    Thank you for this amazing post. Spyro will be deeply missed. in some way he has touched the life of everyone in Westborough. His personality and seance of humor will be missed. WHOP will never be the same. You will never be forgotten Spyro <3

    Reply
  5. Bob Diesenhaus says

    September 4, 2013 at 9:23 am

    Spyro you were an amazing person who showed my daughter and granddaughter much affection. their lives were made richer just knowing you. you will be sorely missed. RIP

    Reply
  6. Debi Gage Ledoux says

    September 4, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    Beautiful Eleni … Spyro so loved his family. Thank you for penning such a beautiful tribute to your cousin. Spyro will be missed so very much by his Westborough family…and by me.

    Reply
  7. Eleni says

    September 5, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    Thanks for your comments everyone. We’re leaving for Spyro’s funeral soon. It’s amazing to realize what an impact he had on everyone who met him. May his memory be eternal.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Get lucky!

Subscribe to my blog,
theliminalstage for
updates, articles, and
auspicious rituals.

Eleni Gage

About Eleni

The daughter of a Greek father and a Minnesotan mother. I grew up in Athens, Greece, and the suburbs of Worcester, Massachusetts—
and became obsessed with cultural rituals and traditions along the way.

read more

Lucky in Love

is a guide to planning a wedding that’s unique, meaningful, and, above all, auspicious, with the help of customs from all over the world

Buy Now

Latest Blog Posts

Memories, Mansplaining, and the Bestseller I Never Wrote

A couple of weeks ago I woke up thinking about a man who is not my husband. He's someone I went out with over a decade ago and there was no reason he ...

Read more about Memories, Mansplaining, and the Bestseller I Never Wrote

Young Love: Spellbound by Syros

The challenge of travel, for me, is time. My nostalgia vein runs deep, so I constantly want to return to the places I love, and when I'm there, I ...

Read more about Young Love: Spellbound by Syros

Footer

Travel Writing

I love covering places that inspire me—from Greece to Nicaragua and everywhere in between—for outlets such as Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, InStyle and more. Join me on my trips here.

 

Essays and Reviews

From parenting to politics to pop culture, I’ve got opinions —and I’m not afraid to share them in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. Learn why I’m a bad mom here.

Lifestyle Articles

I may not always live my best life, but I’m trying to live a better one! I enjoy learning from the experts when writing about everything from reading more to wasting less. Pick up some tips here.

Copyright © 2021 Eleni Gage. All Rights Reserved.