Gus & Gus owner Gus Svolis recovering from stroke

It’s been two weeks since Gus Svolis, owner of Rehoboth’s Gus & Gus, suffered a stroke. Daughter Stacey Giatas said he seems to be getting better, but it’s still too early to tell.

Giatas said July 12 that Svolis, 87, is still in Philadelphia’s Jefferson Hospital after he experienced a stroke June 29. He was doing what he loved most, she said, working in the kitchen. Gus & Gus opened on the Boardwalk in 1956. It was rebuilt after being destroyed during the Storm of ‘62.

Giatas said she was right behind her dad when the stroke happened, catching him before he fell to the ground.

“I knew right away what was happening,” she said.

Giatas said Svolis, who turns 88 next month, has no movement on the right side of his body, but he’s trying to talk, he understands conversations and is alert.

“He was a very active man,” Giatas said. “You can see his mind working.”

Giatas said she and the family are waiting for doctors to release him from the hospital so he can transferred to Milford where he will continue to get the acute care he needs.

Giatas thanked all the people who have reached out and shown support. She also thanked the Rehoboth Beach Patrol lifeguards who were on duty that day for their quick response.

“The support has been amazing,” she said. “It just shows he touched the lives of so many people over the years.”