Evangeline Grous

Eva was born on July 31st, 1930 in Piraeus, Greece to Marina and Vassilios Louckoglou. Her father, Vassilios, worked in New York and Philadelphia in the United States, as a chef during the 1920s and 1930s. Vassilios asked that his wife, Marina, and his daughter, Eva, join him in 1939, prior to the escalation of World War II. Upon arriving in New York City at nine years old, Eva joined the NYC public school system. She started in the fourth grade and struggled initially to adapt into the curriculum with the new language. When the school gave her a math aptitude test, they quickly realized that she had an advanced education. The school then assisted Eva in developing new language skills. As a result, Eva was able to graduate High School in 1948, with her original classmates. After graduation, Eva began working as a secretary for the Hellenic Newspaper and then for the Atlantic Bank.

In 1959, Eva and her mom, Marina, took a trip back to Greece on the Queen Frederica cruise ship, known then as the “Greek Love Boat.” While on this trip, Eva met the head chef, Stavros Grous. Stavros made Eva and her mother special meals and looked after them. On the way back to New York, Stavros made sure Eva and her mother were well taken care of and even sat them at the captain’s table for dinner one evening. Stavros would visit Eva every time the ship docked in New York City. Their courtship continued until they were married on April 17, 1960. Stavros and Eva then moved into her parents’ home in Jackson Heights, New York where Stavros took a job as head chef at the Pantheon restaurant, which they ultimately became the owners of. Approximately nine months later, they welcomed their first child, Vassilios Grous. Two years later, a second blessing, their daughter, Eleni Grous was born. Eva raised Billy and Eleni, while working full-time at Hardy & Co., a boutique brokerage firm in New York. Eva’s proudest achievement was raising her family and taking care of her parents, all while working a full-time job, which was a major accomplishment in the 1960s and 1970s. Eva was an outgoing person, very social and involved herself in everything she did wholeheartedly. Eva was a proud patriot of her Greek heritage and was very active in the Greek community. A few of Eva’s notable accomplishments included being involved with the local Greek Churches in Corona and Jackson Heights, Queens, where she served as a Sunday school teacher, a GOYA advisor, and in Philoptachos. Eva was an active member of the Dodecanesian Society, where she represented her island of Kastellorizo as its President and was responsible for organizing many events.

Eva was an amazing woman with a heart of gold and a very strong fighting spirit. Eva is survived by her two children, Bill Grous and his wife Rhea, and Eleni Grous and her partner Gonzalo Cabezas. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Nick Grous and Chloe Skeadas, who remember her as a kind, playful, generous and loving yiayia. One of Eva’s cherished pastimes was playing poker with her grandson. There will be a private ceremony tomorrow where she will be buried with her husband and parents.