Mr Politis, 93, and his wife Helen were a fixture of Liebig Street where they owned the popular Warrnambool Seafoods for 56 years.

Mr Politis arrived in Australia from Greece when he was 28 and in search of a better life. He only intended to stay for about 12 months and worked on a fruit farm in Mildura.

He then got a job at the Ford Factory in Geelong and met his wife Helen in 1955 at her mother's Bed and Breakfast.

The couple moved to Warrnambool in 1961 with their two boys Chris and Bill and then had two daughters Alexandra and Georgina.

Their daughter, Alexandra Souflas said her father worked for his family and the community. "Once they took over the shop, everything was for the shop and the boys and the girls," she said.

Mr Politis closed the doors of the family business in 2019. "The customers all knew mum and dad," Mrs Souflas said. "On Friday nights the cars would be doing laps and mum and dad would always close late.

"Mrs Swinton would always come for her fresh Whiting. They'd do bulk meals for the Woolen Mills, the abattoir and the footy clubs. Once we'd finished school for the day and done our homework we'd work at the shop. Chris (her older brother) stayed and worked with Dad.

"The only reason Dad closed was he couldn't do it with his knee. He always loved Warrnambool. He came out and educated man and kept that.

"He was an icon for us and our family. He was a big supporter of the local fisherman and the potato farmers in Koroit. Everything was always fresh and he was a big believer of community."

Mr Politis was also a long serving president of the Hellenic Orthodox Community of Geelong and helped establish the first Greek Orthodox Church in Geelong.

"He worked for his family, he supported his family back home in Greece," Mrs Souflas said.

She said growing up in the Politis home her parents ensured the Greek Orthodox traditions stayed alive.

Mrs Souflas said her father also believed in the importance of education.

"He believed in the church, in honesty and working hard," she said.

"He had great principles and looked after those in the community who needed help. Having a good name and being proud of his family was big, and he was proud of his family."

Mr Politis was in hospital and died suddenly on Friday morning. He is survived by his wife, four children and nine grandchildren.

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