Ilias "Louis" Birbilis

Ilias “Louis” Birbilis, 86, of Columbus, NJ, passed away peacefully on January 5, 2021. Ilias was born on May 18, 1934 in Vouno, Greece. The third of five children of Athanasios and Efstathia Birbilis, he emigrated to the United States at the age of 17 where he lived and worked in Poughkeepsie, NY. Only three years  later in 1954, he volunteered for the U.S. Army and was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. He then moved back to Greece for a short period of time and met his future wife, Eleftheria. They married in Greece on January 28, 1962.  Ilias was a devoted husband, loving father and a dependable family man. He was especially proud of his children and worked as a restaurateur to provide all four of them a college education. In 1970, he opened The Mount Laurel Diner in Mount Laurel, NJ. He finally retired in 1997 and enjoyed his retirement with trips to Greece every summer with his wife.  He is survived by his wife, Eleftheria, his sons Tom (Sharon), Nik (Marcia) and George (Siobahn), his brother Demosthenes, his sister Ginger (George), as well as several nephews, nieces, cousins and his eight beautiful grandchildren, Meghan, Nicole, Jimmy, Brooke, Blake, Kristina, Alexander and baby Staci. He was predeceased by his daughter Staci, brothers Nicholas and Konstantinos, and his sister in-law Patra.  Viewing and funeral services will be held at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, 615 Mercer Street Cherry Hill, NJ on Saturday, January 9th. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the viewing from 11:00 am – 12 pm with funeral services beginning at 12 pm. Interment at Odd Fellows Cemetery, Burlington, NJ.  Social distancing guidelines apply and a face mask is mandatory to enter the church. There is a maximum of 75 people allowed in the church at any one time. You must register at the link below to be allowed to enter the church. On behalf of St. Thomas we would like to thank you for your cooperation in advance navigating through this current situation. 

https://stthomas.breezechms.com/form/8979744  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church Building Fund.

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