Publix shoppers still mourn beloved clerk, one of flood’s victims

Some customers shake their heads in sorrow when they enter a popular Forest Acres grocery store and remember that a community friend is gone.

Six months after Robert Allawos died in a historic flood, shoppers at the Forest Drive Publix still talk about the store clerk with the remarkable knack for making them feel at home.

Allawos, a Publix employee for eight years, drowned the morning of Oct. 4 trying to help a Columbia area resident whose home was threatened by the flood. His death received little media attention at the time, but as details about the flood continue to emerge, customers say they won't forget the man who brightened their days.

“If he was on the grocery aisle, you knew you were going to get a big smile and have a nice conversation,’’ said Beth Parks, a regular customer at the Publix in Trenholm Plaza. “I wish he was still there.’’

Allawos, 60, had become a kind of community fixture at Publix. Most any day, Allawos could be found stocking shelves, bagging groceries, working the customer service desk or taking on an array of other duties to keep things running.

“He was the friendliest person in Publix,’’ shopper Melony LaMotte said last week, noting that his death "has been devastating. We were just all emotional about it. We remember him very well.''

When his obituary was published, people expressing their condolences filled five pages of an online tribute section to Allawos. Many of the comments were from Publix shoppers.

“Robert did not just offer excellent service with a sincere smile, he took time to know our community,’’ one of the comments said. “Oh, we chatted about sports, politics, and what I was cooking each week. Robert knew so many of us customers by name; he even knew all of my children's names. His life reminds me how we can positively impact others even in the small moments of our days.’’

In some ways, the circumstances around Allawos' death aren't much different than those of eight other people killed in the Columbia flood.

Most drowned after their vehicles ran into rising water. All who died Oct 4 were killed between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., according to the Richland County Coroner's office. And like Allawos, some of them succumbed to the flood in areas not far from their homes.

But as more details surface about the morning of Oct. 4, evidence shows the Allawos story had a different twist.

Gary Watts, Richland County’s coroner, said Allawos was at his home in southeast Columbia on the telephone before dawn that day. A friend was on the other line, asking Allawos for help as the water rose in her home, said Watts, who gathered the information in the course of examining circumstances around the death.

“He was on the phone, talking to a friend who had water coming into her house,’’ Watts said. “So he left his house at about 10 after 5 that morning to help her with the water.’’

It’s unclear who the friend was or what route Allawos took, but his body was found near the intersection of Caughman and Teague Roads, several miles away from his home and not far from a neighborhood adjacent to Sunview Lake, according to the coroner’s office.

Water appeared to have been filling the car Allawos was driving, forcing him to climb out of the vehicle. He thought he “could get out of the water, but the current was too strong,’’ Watts said.

Allawos was from a well-known Columbia family that had been active in the Catholic church and in business and community affairs, according to newspaper accounts. He was an only child of Joseph and Gloria Allawos, who died before their son. Allawos enjoyed traveling, including with his mother before she died, according to obituaries.

Family members have been reluctant to talk about the death or share memories of their loved one. A cousin said last week that the Allawos family is trying to move past his death. Contacted by The State, she said she stopped going into the Publix because she doesn’t want to be reminded of her relative’s time there.

Because of a corporate policy that prohibits Publix employees from speaking with the media, co-workers of Allawos said they could not talk publicly about the man they knew.

Today, the home Robert Allawos owned off Atlas Road is for rent. A neighbor reached by The State said the neat brick patio-style house was cleaned out by a family member months ago.

Parks said Allawos’ death is a tragedy that reflects his unselfish nature. “He was too nice — and that’s what got him,’’ Parks said. “He went back to save somebody.’’

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Publix shoppers still mourn beloved clerk, one of flood’s victims."