″They dropped big boxes full of clothing and also food,″ he recalled four decades later. ″We got sometimes white sugar, sometimes brown sugar. We even received sometimes chocolate bars. It was a very big deal.”
With his poverty-stricken village reeling from World War II and the Greek Civil War that followed, Pappan vowed to pursue a better life. He came to America at around age 21.
Not yet learning English, he settled in Beaver Falls, finding work at his uncle Louis Nellas’ neighborhood bar next to a steel mill. Two years later, Pappan joined the U.S. Army and served in the 101st Airborne Division during the Korean War. A sergeant there convinced him his Greek name was too difficult for Americans to pronounce, so he shortened it to Pappan.
In 1960, Lou briefly returned to Makrakomi to marry his beloved wife, Panagiota. The couple returned to Beaver Falls, living downtown on Sixth Avenue. In 1961, Pappan bought a former candy shop in Beaver Falls and turned it into his first restaurant selling burgers and hot dogs. Too poor to replace the sign outside, he kept the name of the former business, The Sweet Shop.
Three years later, he opened his first Pappan’s Family Restaurant in New Brighton, near the bridge to Beaver Falls.
Through diligence and determination, Pappan forged a business empire that grew to over 30 Pappan’s Family Restaurants, along with 20 Roy Rogers franchise restaurants.
“He loved his customers,” Demetrios said. “My dad never talked about money, that was just a byproduct of his work. He talked about the people he served and his employees. And he believed in giving back. He raised us that way.”
Pappan’s restaurants became well-known for fried chicken, prompting another of the namesake owner’s beloved catch phrases: “Chicken, Chicken, Chicken!”
In 1986, when the Pittsburgh Pirates were attempting to reach the 1 million mark in attendance on the last day of the season, Pappan offered a free chicken dinner to every fan at Three Rivers Stadium. A sold-out crowd turned out, and more than 33,000 people were served on the field at a cost to Pappan of about $45,000 as the Pirates reached their goal. Recalling that feat a few years later, Pappan laughed and said, ″I want to die as a nice man instead of a rich man.″
″God has been good to me,” he added. ″From the day I walked into this country … I never had a sad day. I never met a person in this country I did not really like.″
Pappan continued working into his mid-80s before retiring.
“He was special. The real deal,” son Demetrios said. “He came to America for the dream of prosperity and a new life, and he lived it to the fullest.”
Gabauer Family Funeral Homes is handling arrangements.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
