Anthony Anni: How Upper Darby Shaped my Life
Anthony Anni is a first-generation Greek-American who grew up in Upper Darby’s historic Greektown from the 1960s through the 1980s. His life has been forged by his Christian faith and upbringing in the community, where he still has roots today.
Anni is a devoted member of the Potter House Christian Fellowship Church on Garrett Road in Upper Darby, where many Greek businesses once thrived, and several continue to hold on. He travels to destinations around the world with missions sharing and spreading the word of God. Anni also runs a local auto mechanic shop with his wife, just on the edge of town, next door in Lansdowne.
His love of Hellenism has played a critical role in shaping his family. Once a member of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, his children followed in his footsteps by attending Greek School at St. Demetrios.
Anni was also a member of the notable St. Demetrios Boy Scouts Troop 302, a mostly Greek troop that owned a blue and white school bus painted the colors of Greece. They also set a state record in the 1970s for graduating eleven Eagle Scouts.
His parents hailed from the islands of Andros and Skiathos, Greece, where Anni continues to visit every few years.
Originally published on Cosmos Philly by Eleftherios Kostans. Video by Vasilis Keisoglou.