Connie Shilaos was born on June 9, 1938 in Lamia, Greece. She was the daughter of Ioannis and Vassilike Javaras who lived in the mountain village of Mavrolithari. Her memories of her childhood were very traumatic. As a young child, she had watched her home burn to the ground as Nazi troops invaded their village. She described how the villagers scrambled into the hills as the troops arrived and how they had watched their homes burn from the mountainside. The family immigrated to the U.S. aboard a ship called the Saturnia in 1947.
Connie graduated from East High School in 1957. After graduating from high school, she worked for Gaddis Investment Company for eight years.
At the age of 20, Connie married John Shilaos on July 27, 1958. They had four children Maria, Vickie, Dean and John Christopher. Education was very important to John and Connie. They worked hard to ensure their kids were college educated in hopes that they would pass that on to their children.
Connie worked at Harmons grocery store at the Brickyard from 1978-2006. During that 28 years, she was both a checker and worked in the Shoppers Express Program. Her job gave her great fulfillment and she loved everyone she worked with and all the shoppers who would wait in her line to visit with her. She also loved the Harmons family and would go on and on about how good they were to her. She says the Harmons family treated her “royally.” When she was awarded employee of the year in 2002, the Harmons paid for her and John to fly to Greece. It’s the only time she returned to her homeland.
It would be tough to find someone who worked harder than our mom. She literally never sat still. Even after retiring from Harmons, she would work in her yard every day in the summer until the sun went down. Work was her hobby.
Mom was a proud member of the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake and several of its philanthropic organizations such as Diakos, Panahaikos and the Philoptochos. She took great joy in attending church each Sunday and looked forward to the monthly Seniors Luncheon and regular luncheons with her friends. Her friends meant the world to her. Much thanks to her dear friends Helen Velis and Madeline Pappas Coleman who continued to include her and helped her participate even as her memory was failing. The family wishes to express our gratitude to Mikey and her great aides and nurses at Canyons Hospice and the Ridge at Cottonwood.
Mom has been talking about needing to go see her mother for months now. We know that she is now in her loving arms.
She is survived by her sister Julie Ziakas. She will be greatly missed by her children Maria (Bob Nelson), Vickie (Rick Leith), Dean (Kristie), and John (Lisa) and her grandchildren: Jonathon, Gregory, Ricky, Yianni, Vassili, Dylan, Christopher and Angeliki.
A viewing will be held on Thursday, October 3rd from 6-to-8pm at Wasatch Lawn on Highland Drive. The funeral will be on Friday, October 4th at 10:00 am at Holy Trinity Cathedral.
