Portland, Oregon
Having lived a full and eventful life, and with her beloved daughter by her side, Ann passed away on September 14, 2020. Known as a Greek girl from Lansing who was a friend to everyone and a champion gift giver, she will be remembered most of all as a loving wife, mother and Yiayia (grandmother). We will miss her.
Ann was born in 1928 to Greek immigrant parents in Birmingham, Michigan. An only child, Ann was adored by her parents and early on developed a capacity to charm friends and strangers alike. She loved social gatherings, from fraternity parties during her time at Michigan State, to the big Greek dances at the church, to weekly (if not daily) meals at local restaurants with her friends.
Her father, Angel Korbakis, ran a successful bar next to the Lansing State Journal building, and it was from him that Ann learned to be a social butterfly. It was from her mother, Helen, that she got her strength to deal with life’s challenges.
After graduating from Sexton High School in 1946, she attended Michigan State University, receiving both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Education. Her love of the Spartans never wavered, wearing her MSU jacket proudly even in her final days. She was a fixture at both home football and basketball games, including those heady Magic Johnson years, and tried not to miss even a single performance at Wharton Center.
In 1953, at a church dance in South Bend, Indiana, she met George Pappas, another only child, a WWII veteran, and recent Purdue graduate. After a brief courtship, they married on June 19, 1955, and celebrated their 56th anniversary just before George passed away in 2011. He was the love of her life.
Following their wedding, Ann and George settled down in East Lansing, where she was a homemaker (though she never was one for cooking). There too she raised her daughter and stayed active in Lansing’s Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, home to her second family.
Travel was another of Ann’s passions; she particularly enjoyed flying “Space A(vailable)” on military transport planes with George. Memorably, Ann and George traveled (commercially) with a group of Hump Pilots to Asia twice, first in 1985 as guests of the Taiwanese government, and again in 1995 as guests of the government of the People’s Republic of China, both in appreciation for George’s service during WWII.
Only when her health began to decline did she stop spending summers in Greece. She would go for months at a time, first staying with family and later living in the condo overlooking the sea that she and George rented. She watched much of the 2004 Athens Olympics from her balcony.
Following George’s passing, Ann moved to Portland, Oregon (which she never managed to pronounce correctly, always saying “Ore-gone”) to be closer to her daughter. During her time in Portland she was able to attend every one of her granddaughter’s many performances in school plays, enjoy countless operas and Broadway shows with her daughter, celebrate every Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, and simply spend lots of time relaxing with her family.
Ann is preceded in death by her parents, Angel and Helen Korbakis, and by her husband, George Pappas. She is survived by her daughter, Callie Pappas Winner; son-in-law, John Winner; and treasured granddaughter, Athanasia.
The funeral service will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, September 30, 2020. Due to current restrictions, attendance will be limited to family only. The service will be livestreamed on the Holy Trinity Lansing Michigan YouTube Channel or link at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwxG6JkEC5U
Memorial contributions in memory of Ann Pappas may be made to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Memorial Fund or the Portland Opera at 211 SE Caruthers Street, Portland, OR 97214, https://portlandopera.org/
Expressions of sympathy may be made at www.greastlansing.com
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