Yakovos Tsunis, who recently donated his entire fortune to the Greek Armed Forces, took his last breath on Saturday afternoon at the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens.
The death of the shipowner was announced on Twitter by GEETHA CEO Konstantinos Floros:
“World War II veteran, benefactor of the Greek Armed Forces, Yakovos Tsunis, passed away today. He was a devoted patriot, a worthy son of the Fatherland. We will all miss him! I deeply regret the loss of this unique Greek and condole with his loved ones. “
Yakovos Tsunis was born in the city of Patras and was a descendant of the fighters of 1821, Lontea and Petmezai. Konstantinos, his father, was a forester, and Yakovos was the last of 13 children. At 16, he volunteered for the front when Italy declared war on Greece. In 1940 he left to fight on the Albanian front. “I fought and knew Albania well. And when five months passed, the chief of staff found me half-dead. From 65 kilograms I have 29 left, but they brought me back to life, ”he recalls.
Tsunis worked hard all his life. He started his working career as a customs officer in Piraeus. In 1966 he entered the shipping business as a ship owner, acquiring a total of 13 merchant ships and eventually earning a large fortune. He often provided financial support to the Greek military. His creation is also a museum located next to his permanent residence on Kipru Street in Papagou.
Tsunis recently donated all of his property to the Greek army. He said that he was allocating € 23 million for the defense of Greece and was buying 60 new landing ships for the special forces. As stated in the message of the AMNA agency, the government and parliament of Greece warmly thanked the ship owner, entrepreneur and philanthropist Yakovos Tsunis for donating his entire fortune to the armed forces.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou presented him with the Order of the Grand Cross of the Order of Honor. Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis thanked Tsunis, highlighting his loyal and consistent contribution to the military throughout his life.
Now, said Christos Bukoros, a spokesman for the ruling New Democracy parliamentary party, this man “amazed us with his decision to donate his entire fortune to the armed forces during his lifetime. And this is encouraging at a time when there is great turbulence in a large Mediterranean region. ”
The patron said that he wanted to die the same way he came, barefoot, donating 23 million euros for the defense of the country and 60 million euros for landing ships. “For me, the most important thing is patriotism. Not the one from whom there is money, and not the one that bestows honor! Without a homeland, there is no wealth, no glory, no joy, ”he said.
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