Annastasia "Ann" Zikas Murtos

Annastasia “Ann” Zikas Murtos passed away on July 9, 2019 at the age of 91, after a life very well lived. Born in New York City, Ann’s family returned to Kastoria and Thessaloniki Greece, when she was six where her much beloved brother Constantin “Gus” Zikas was born. Just before the start of World War II, the Zikases returned to the United States, and she grew up in Manhattan. In 1952 she married Peter Murtos, a Greek Orthodox Priest, and in 1963 they adopted their daughter Alice from Thessaloniki, Greece. They served parishes in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Reading, Pennsylvania and Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.

Ann worked tirelessly and with great devotion in her role as “Presbytera” for the church. She was known for her extraordinary cooking and baking skills but most importantly for the warm friendship and good counsel she provided to parishioners and friends. Ann also worked as a secretary for many years in the North Carolina Division of Environmental Management where she had the great fortune of working for Cindy and Doug Finan, who would become lifelong friends and and who took extraordinary care of her in her final years.

Ann made many sacrifices to provide an exceptional love and fun filled life for her daughter, supporting her many interests in sports, music and travel and putting her through college and law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was always able to create a gourmet meal out of thin air on no notice for whomever would show up with Alice. She counted friends Marilyn and John Tomei and Maureen and Larry Warner of Raleigh, North Carolina and Elaine and Tom Christopher of Atlanta, Georgia and their families among her children. The Murtos and Zikas families are so very grateful for all they have done to enrich our lives. In her last year, the family of Shirley Edwards, Meme Edwards and Alexis Flowers cared for Ann throughout the day and night with love and devotion that can hardly be described, making her final time on this earth so much richer than her family could have imagined.

Ann is survived by her daughter Alice; her dear sister-in-law Fani Zikas, her nephews and nieces Harry, Kathy, Nick and Amanda Zikas and her great nephews and nieces Anna, Owen, Benjamin and Avery Zikas; and her nephews and nieces Nikos and Edith Mourtos, Yiota and Stephanos Gikas, Vasillis Mourtos and Spiros Mourtos.

A visitation will be held Thursday, July 18, 2019 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, with Trisagion Prayers beginning at 6:30 pm, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 5000 Lead Mine Rd., Raleigh. A funeral will be held on Friday, July 19, 2019 at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity. Burial will be held at Raleigh Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 5000 Lead Mine Rd. Raleigh, NC 27612, or Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 8306 NC-751, Durham, NC 27713.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.