Andreas Konstantinos Giannitsopoulos

Andreas Konstantinos Giannitsopoulos, a devoted brother, son, and student athlete, passed-away in the Champlain Towers building collapse in Surfside, Florida on June 24, 2021. Andreas is survived by his younger sister, Athanasia (19), mother Tina, father Kosta, grandfather Andreas, loving aunts Despina and Patricia, and numerous cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and friends across Texas, Greece, and around the world.

Born on September 21, 1999 in Houston, Texas to a Greek Orthodox family, Andreas was very proud of his Greek heritage.  His Greek Orthodox heritage and his ever-strengthening faith drew him closer to God through his family and friends. To honor God and his faith, Andreas prayed every morning when he woke and every night before bed to talk to God about the day at hand. He attended St. Michael’s Catholic School where he excelled in track and field. He then went on to St. Thomas High School to become a scholar and a decathlete. After high school Andreas attended Baylor University his Freshman year, but wanted to excel further and decided to transfer to Vanderbilt University to study Economics. At Vanderbilt University Andreas was on the Dean’s list for his academic achievements. This upcoming year would have been Andreas’ Senior year. His plans after Undergraduate school was to attain an MBA.

Andreas was a simple man whose joys came not from superficial things, but instead from God’s creations. Andreas deeply loved his family, fishing with his friends, caring for animals especially birds, and an immense passion for the greenhouse and the numerous varieties of plants he cultivated in the backyard of his father’s home. He had a great love for food and watching the Food Network. The boy could eat! Outside of his family, his biggest zest for life was plants. He found a beauty in them that not many could see. He was God’s gardener on Earth.

Andreas had a huge heart and a pure soul. Everything he did was for the betterment of others.  Simply stated--to know Andreas was to truly love Andreas.

The Giannitsopoulos family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to rescue those affected by the Champlin Towers collapse, along with the various agencies that provided tremendous support in the days following the tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families enduring this horrific event.