Alexandra Pappas

Alexandra (Bouchtis) Pappas was born to parents, Hrissi Kalergios and Elias Bouchtis, in the small town of Proespera, on the island of Ikaria on November 10th,1926. This rugged island, was ultimately designated as a “Blue Zone”, due to the longevity of its townspeople and Alexandra lived up to that designation. The youngest of a family of eleven children, she enjoyed the pleasures of island life from an early age. At 9 months of age she was carried (as the story goes) in a goat skin backpack by her older brother from Proespera, over the mountains to a seaside village of Karkinagri. There, she enjoyed the carefree island life, running barefoot through the village, diving off of the boulders into the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea and running amuck with her friends. She was a rule breaker and a chatter box. She confessed to having her braids pulled by her teacher, in that one room schoolhouse, numerous times.

WWII changed her idyllic, carefree days quite suddenly when her brother moved the family to the mainland of Greece in the seaport city of Piraeus. She would recall stories of how they lined their windows with black paper to avoid German air attacks at night, how she was hidden under a cart laden with straw pulled by a donkey, driven by a good samaritan . You see, she explained, “I had to jump out of the city bus because it was stopped by German soldiers and I left my ID at home”.

Her dream was to come to America. The streets were paved with gold, she thought, and told us laughingly, “I wanted a gold tooth !”. In the blizzard of 1947, her wish was fulfilled. After a two day flight from Athens, she arrived at the home of her uncle George Kalerios in the Bronx, or as she would say “STO BRONX”. Coincidently, George’s wife, was on her way to pick up “Thia Eleni, who arrived at Ellis Island after a transatlantic crossing. These two women, who were not sisters, became closer than sisters. They arrived as “War Brides” an act of congress enacted in 1945 to allow women to enter the US legally to marry GIs. They both found their “guys", James Pappas for Alexandra and Alex Poulianos for Thia Eleni. The rest is history.

For the next 50+ years Thia Eleni and Alexandra were known as the dynamic duo, like two thieves in the night whose energies were insurmountable. They joined forces with other women in the tiny undeveloped enclave of Port Jefferson to help build a Greek church. Prior to that, worshipers traveled to a rented building on Landing road in Smithtown, NY. Through coffee Klatches, small raffle drawings and networking, their dream came to fruition. The founding fathers and mothers finally had their church. It was built in 1959 at the present site.

From that day forward, and two daughters later, Alexandra balanced motherhood and church activities. It was all about Philoptochos, bake sales (she made the best Greek pastries), fundraising events, dances, (she danced an awesome Ikariotiko), Mr. & Mrs. Club and most recently, The Golden Seniors. Despite growing health concerns, she always lived with love in her heart and a smile on her face.

Alexandra Pappas: November 10, 1926— May 20, 2023 A story that began on that little island of Ikaria and ended in Port Jefferson, a journey well done, a life well lived.

Visitation for Alexandra will be held Friday, May 26, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM followed by a funeral mass at Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption, 430 Sheep Pasture Rd, Port Jefferson, NY 11777. An interment will occur Friday, May 26, 2023 at Calverton National Cemetery, 210 Princeton Blvd, Calverton, New York 11933.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.obdavismillerplace.com for the Pappas family.