Anna G Makris

For the first-generation Greek children who grew up in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, one may recall the distinctly Avant Garde décor of our parents’ homes: the oil lamp with the Greek goddess poised in the center, the gold Highball glasses reserved strictly for koumbari and honored guests, and of course the long six-foot faux-wood entertainment console complete with turntable, tape deck, and AM/FM radio.

Our console was crowned with a hand-stitched runner from 1950, made in Sfakia, Crete, with two Grecian Urns embroidered on each side. As children, the significance of this piece was lost on us until one day in 1985 when our mother, Anna Makris, instructed firmly that the runner was never to be moved. Its place on the console was to be preserved at all costs. When we asked why, she explained that she had stitched it in the early 1950s. When her older sisters asked what she was making, she replied, without hesitation: “When I get married and go to Amerikee, I will be prepared to put this on my radiobombo (console).” For a teenage girl of that era, such a declaration was amusing, and it became a joke in the chorio for quite some time. As life unfolded, the runner became the symbol of exactly the future she imagined and ultimately created.

Anna Gialadakis Makridakis (Makris) was born in Askifou, Sfakia/Crete, on December 28, 1933, (DOD November 27, 2025) to Geronimos and Kaliope Gialadakis. She is preceded in death by her husband, George Emanuel Makridakis, her son, Mike George Makridakis, and six siblings.

Her journey to America began in 1954 when her father’s cousin, Mrs. Dimitra Thimakis, newly married to a Kennecott Copper electrician, invited Anna to West Jordan, Utah, hoping to bring some Cretan companionship to her new home. Through her efforts, Anna and George Emanuel Makridakis were married that same year. George traveled to Crete to escort his bride to Utah, where he owned and operated several businesses, including the Lucky Penny Saloon.

Anna arrived with a seamstress certificate, the ability to read English newspapers thanks to tutoring on Crete, and the grace to integrate into life with George’s seven sisters, one brother, and the broader West Jordan community.

Throughout the decades, Anna became a beloved member within the Daughters of Minos and the Salt Lake City Philoptochos, serving in numerous board and leadership roles. She was deeply pious and practiced the Byzantine faith with sincerity and devotion. For more than forty years, she chaired/led the dolmathes for the Greek Festival, and she supported philanthropic efforts including the Utah Heart Association, and vehemently practiced philoxenia.

She raised her children with unwavering love and support, encouraging them in student government, sports, debate, and every pursuit they chose. Her home was a warm and welcoming place filled with the aromas of her renowned cooking. She followed her children and grandchildren to games and events, even when she did not always understand the rules. Sundays were spent gathered at her home, with or without an invitation, because one was never needed.

In her final days, Anna was diagnosed with multiple cancers. She chose to face her remaining time with the same grace and dignity that defined her ninety-two years.

The takeaway is simple: small symbols matter. The runner, still on display in her home in Holladay, Utah, represented a future beyond the deprivations of World War II and the hardships of rural Cretan life. It symbolized hope, dignity, reinvention, and the meaningful life she ultimately built. We believe that runners, whatever form they take, should be honored and that others should continue to celebrate their own family legacies.

The families of the late Mike George Makridakis of Northern California/Boston, Ted Makris of Bountiful, Utah, and Staci Makris Souvall of Holladay, Utah; with eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, numerous cousins and koumbarii, and lifelong friends, invite you to honor Anna’s memory. In the spirit of the film Gladiator, when the call goes out asking, “Who will help me carry him,” we now ask- metaphorically, “Who will help us carry her?” Αιώνια η μνήμη

Viewing

Monday, December 1, 2025

10:00 to 11:00 AM

Holy Trinity Cathedral

279 S 300 W

Salt Lake City, Utah

Funeral

Monday, December 1, 2025

11:00 AM

Immediately following the viewing

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Interment

Mt. Olivet Cemetery

Salt Lake City, Utah

Makaria

1:00-1:30 PM

Holy Trinity Cathedral

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be directed to Holy Trinity Cathedral in Salt Lake City, Utah.