Ms. Denise Vlassos

She was born to Greek immigrant parents in St. Louis, MO., in 1928, the second oldest of three children. She lived in St. Louis most of her life. She was a graduate of Miss Hickey’s Secretarial School, and subsequently held numerous Executive Secretary positions in the retail and insurance industries. Denise never married nor had children, but devoted most of her life to her work, to her extended family and to her Orthodox church. There she decorated icons for Easter, volunteered at the annual Greek Food Festivals, taught Greek dance to youth, made care and prayer packages for the college-bound, and was an active participant in adult Bible Study. Denise loved her Greek culture, visiting Greece several times; she was fluent in the language, and remembered it to the very end of her life. She loved nature, travelling, music, art, opera, ballet, and crafting. She was an amazing baker; every year her family was eager to receive the traditional Greek cookies, cakes and desserts she would make for the holidays. She loved to dance, had exquisite taste in fashion and jewelry, and a vivacious personality.

She travelled through Europe, Austria being one of her favorite countries; she loved the mountains, wherever she found them: Europe, the Canadian Rockies, Lake Junaluska in North Carolina, the Rocky Mountains. An adventurer, she signed up for a stint with the U.S. government in Turkey in the early 1960’s. There she was involved in a serious bus accident where her spine was broken. She spent one year in a government hospital in Germany in traction, and a second year at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, MD., also in traction. When she finally was released, she was in a body cast with a halo drilled into her skull to hold her neck in place. She lived for the next year with her Aunt and Uncle, with her beloved cousin Christine as her roommate.

Denise will be remembered for her sweetness, her kindness to others, her love of God, her generosity and for her warmth. She exuded love, joy and faith. Even with advanced dementia, she was beloved of many caregivers for her gratitude and kindness and for the joy she still took in all that was offered to her. All who knew her well were blessed.

Denise is survived by her sister-in-law Alice Vlassos, nephew Nick Vlassos and his wife, Jan, of St. Louis, MO; niece Marguerite Wachter and her husband, Bill, of University Park, FL; first cousins Christine Elaine Patterson of Dallas, TX, Georgiana Michas Pelley of St. Louis, MO, John and Jayne Michas of Hoffman Estates, IL, Sue Michas Bower of Roseville, MN; her aunt Mary Michas of Riverside, CA; many more cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her father, Nick Vlassos; her mother, Lula Michas Vlassos; her brother Peter Vlassos; and her sister, Christine Vlassos Stillman.

Visitation will be at J.E. Foust and Son Funeral Home, Grapevine, TX, on Monday, September 21, 2020 beginning at 6 p.m. Trisagion Service will be held there at 7 p.m. Funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 22, at 10 a.m. at the Chapel of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Dallas, TX. Internment will be at Moore Memorial Garden, Arlington, TX, Serenity Garden following the ceremony.

In Denise’s memory, please feel free to make a donation to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research online at https://www.alzinfo.org/donate/donation_form/ or by mail to:

The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation

FDR Station, PO Box 220

New York, NY 10150

If you wish to send flowers in honor of Denise Vlassos, please contact Lilium Floral Design at 817-589-1566 or http://www.liliumflorals.com.