Jimmy Meridis, established Simcoe County businessman, dead at 81
Jimmy Meridis shown cooking (File).
The Town of Midland is in mourning after losing a community staple for decades.
An obituary posted online confirms that Jim 'Jimmy' Meridis passed away on Wednesday peacefully, surrounded by his family at Georgian Bay General Hospital.
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Meridis was a well-known and respected entrepreneur in Simcoe County, with restaurants in Midland, Penetanguishene, Stayner and Collingwood, which he ran with his partner Diane Smith.
However, Meridis' life wasn't without challenges. His former Collingwood-based restaurant, The Olde Red Hen, was destroyed by a fire in the summer of 2020.
Meridis' business also made headlines in 2018 when then White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was kicked out of a restaurant in Virginia with a nearly identical name, the Red Hen.
His restaurant was mistakenly the target of attacks online from around the world.
"We got a lot of response from all over the world," Meridis said to CTV News with a laugh a few years after the incident. "I had calls from all over the world to apologize for that!"
A funeral service will be held at St. Mark's Anglican Church on Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. His family is asking for donations to be made to the MS Society of Canada in his memory. He is survived by his wife, children and many other family members.
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