2020. Born in Albany, New York in 1926. She was the beloved wife of the
late Gus James Papazissis. Loving mother of Demetri C. (Rita) James,
Marianne (Bill) Tsikitas, and the late Nicholas C. Papazissis. Cherished
grandmother of Lenore (Steven) Maniaci, Constantine (Genevieve) James,
Vivian James, Douglas (Christine) James, Lucas (Alisa) Tsikitas, Katherine
James, Ksenia Terestchenkova, and the late Nicholas Papazissis. Adored great
grandmother of Helena Maniaci, Evangelia James, Dylan Tsikitas, Alexis
James and Olivia James. Dear sister of Gus C. Ziamandanis, Virginia
Cholakis, and the late John C. Ziamandanis. Devoted daughter of the late
James and Sultana Ziamandanis, and beloved aunt to many nieces and
nephews. She graduated from Albany High School in 1944 and Mildred Elley
Business School in 1946. After marrying her sweetheart, Gus, they moved to
New York City where she made a beautiful life for her family. Her
grandchildren felt as if they knew their grandfather despite never having met
him through her wonderful tales of their life together which she conveyed
through story and song. She volunteered as a librarian for several years at her
children’s elementary school and subsequently, was employed by the NYC
Board of Education as a school aid for 30 years. She maintained enduring
friendships with her coworkers and had monthly lunches with them until she
moved to Boston. The value of family and friends she imparted to her family
cannot be understated. The importance of these relationships, no doubt, will
remain her legacy. She labeled every photograph in her collection, with
numerous details about the people and places within them so that her family
would know the roots from where she came. She similarly labeled gifts that
people had embroidered for her with a small piece of paper pinned to the
fabric. She practiced the Greek traditions from her family roots, from
gathering the family at the advent of Lent (Greek Mardi Gras) and playing
the game of “Haska” which her children and grandchildren looked forward to
every year with great anticipation of lots of family fun, to dyeing red eggs
and making the traditional “Tsoureki” (Easter bread) at Easter. She was very
proud of her Macedonian heritage, often quoting memorable Vlahika tales
and expressions. She loved to dance the “tsamiko,” “karagouna” and the
jitterbug. She enjoyed watching the tango. She was an avid reader. She kept
index cards of all the books she read with synopses and rated them. She
always made ‘lemonade out of lemons’ time and again throughout her life.
Even when it was necessary to relocate to a nursing home for medical
reasons, she accepted the transition with dignity and grace. She without
hesitation scooted around in her wheelchair, always looking to make friends
and be helpful to others whenever she could be, despite her own physical
limitations. She loved to show off her visitors to all of the residents. She
loved playing Bingo three times a week despite having trouble reading any of
the numbers. She had memorized her cards so she could keep up with the
group and would never miss a game! As soon as she won enough quarters to
reach $10, she would proudly roll them up and send them off to her
granddaughters in rotation to use for their laundromat visits. She diligently
kept up with her exercise, including her vocal exercises, often times without
warning (in the car!) startling those around her. She was especially adept at
bridging the degrees of separation between people, often finding connections
among the residents from her friends and family in Albany or New York. She
had an uncanny ability to recall birthdays, death dates and anniversaries, and
recited every one that she could recall for the entire month of March as a
party trick at her 90th birthday party surrounded by family and friends. She
never complained or gave up despite her disabilities. She was always kind
and generous and an instant friend to all she met. She will be sorely missed.
May her memory be eternal.
Funeral Liturgy, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 196-01 Northern
Blvd., Flushing, New York 11358 on Friday May 29, 2020 at 1:00 pm.
Interment Flushing Cemetery, 164-06 46th Avenue, Flushing, New York
11358.
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