Nicholas "Dr. Nick" Pediaditakis

Dr. Nicholas Pediaditakis, 96, of Raleigh, NC passed away peacefully on March 8th, 2025, in the comfort of his home and surrounded by his family. Dr. Nick, as he was affectionately known, dedicated over half his life to the field of psychiatry, serving more than 20 years as the director of the Wake County Mental Health Center followed by 30 years in private practice.

Nicholas was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece, where he received his medical degree from the Aristotelian University before immigrating to the United States to pursue his specialty. Shortly after arriving in America, he met his wife Victoria (née Vallas) and together they had three children–Stephanie, Nicole, and Peter– whom they raised in Raleigh, NC. While fiercely proud of his adopted country, he never abandoned his roots, as he dutifully returned to Greece every summer with his family to stay at their beloved house on the island of Evia.

His life was enriched by his love of travel, poetry, and various agrarian arts such as beekeeping, winemaking, and cattle rearing. As a polymath with an insatiable curiosity, Nicholas dazzled those around him.

In 1989, Dr. Nick embraced the new identity of “Papou” upon the birth of his first grandchild, Igor, who became his primary travel companion in his adventures around the globe. His grandchildren expanded to include 5 more beautiful granddaughters, and he doted on them for 35 years.

Dr. Nick also suffered profound losses with the death of his beloved wife Vicky in 2002 and the amputation of both his legs in 2010. However, these tragedies did not diminish his “lifemanship” which he displayed in subsequent years.

Brought into this world under extraordinary circumstances, Nicholas’s life was a testament to determination in the face of adversity. The loss of his father at a young age during the Nazi occupation of Greece left his mother to raise four boys on her own, endowing him with a remarkable grit that is synonymous with his name and will continue to inspire legend for years to come.

Nicholas was preceded in death by his wife, Victoria “Vicky”, and his daughter Stephanie Eriksen Goslen.

He is survived by his children, Nicole Pediaditakis and Peter (Beth) Pediaditakis; and grandchildren, Igor Pediaditakis, Zoë Eriksen, Maya Eriksen, Xena Eriksen, Victoria Pediaditakis, and Marie Pediaditakis.

Visitation will be Thursday, Mar. 13, 2025, from 6:00-8:00 pm with Trisagion Prayers at 7:00 pm, and the funeral service will be held Friday, Mar. 14, 2025, at 11:00 am. Both services will take place at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 5000 Lead Mine Rd., Raleigh, NC 27612. A graveside service will follow the funeral at Montlawn Memorial Park, 2911 S Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Hellenic Initiative (THI), in support of the wildfire relief efforts on Evia.

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