Dorothy Suflas, a founding member of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill and a longtime member of the Daughters of Penelope, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2026, surrounded by her children. She was 98, five days shy of her 99th birthday.
Visitation will be held Thursday, August 13, from 10:00 to 11:00 am at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, 615 Mercer Street in Cherry Hill. The funeral service will follow at 11:00 am, with interment at Locustwood Memorial Park in Cherry Hill.
Born in Camden on July 24, 1927, to Nicholas and Elpiniki Stafre, Suflas grew up in the area’s Greek Orthodox community. Her family’s home often welcomed relatives arriving from Europe, while childhood summers took her and her brother, John, to Wildwood.
After graduating from Camden High School, she studied medical technology at Pennsylvania Hospital and worked for Dr. Theodore Fetter.
She met her future husband, William “Bill” Suflas, at a wedding where he had stepped in as an usher. Bill proposed on December 19, 1948, after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Cardinals at snow-covered Shibe Park to win the NFL championship.
The couple married at the Cathedral of St. George in Philadelphia on June 12, 1949. They later became longtime proprietors of the Grand Coach Grill in Maple Shade, known for its railroad-car theme, and traveled extensively through their involvement in the restaurant industry.
Suflas and her husband were among the founding members of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill. She sang in the choir, helped with the parish’s annual Agora festival and belonged to the Saint Irene Ladies Philoptochos Society.
She was also the longest-standing founding member of Daughters of Penelope Nike Chapter #230. In 2020, Daughters of Penelope District 5 recognized her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
After relocating to Florida, Suflas became involved with St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton while continuing her friendships with members of the St. Thomas community in New Jersey.
She was the mother of Barbara and Steven, grandmother of Allison, Rebecca and Whitney, and great-grandmother of Madeline, Sebastian, Penelope and Carter. She often traveled to help care for her grandchildren and regularly welcomed her children’s friends into the family home.
Among the family keepsakes she left behind is a handwritten collection of Greek recipes, copies of which are treasured by relatives.
Suflas enjoyed the Jersey Shore, Florida beaches and competitive games of Scrabble. Her family said she stayed in close contact with longtime friends through visits and daily phone calls and kept her sharp memory and gift for storytelling into her final days.
She is also survived by her sister-in-law Olga Stafre, nieces, nephews and extended family.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to the Daughters of Penelope Nike Chapter through St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, 615 Mercer Street, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002, with donations designated for the Dorothy Suflas Scholarship Fund.