Panajota Liti

Born in Athens, Greece to Sofia and Andrea Qendro, she grew up with her two brothers and a sister in their familial town of Goric, Albania. She met Jani Liti (deceased) in Albania and later moved with their four children to Tepelene, Albania.

In the early 1990’s Panajota and Jani immigrated to Lynn, Massachusetts with three of their children and their grandchildren in pursuit of the American Dream. This dream would not have been possible without Panajota’s foresight, bravery and determination during communist rule to save United States citizenship documentation bestowed to her husband by his father (a U.S. citizen) that provided a path to U.S. citizenship for her entire family.

Panajota was a dedicated wife to Jani, a loving mother to her children, and an adoring “Yiayia” to her grandchildren in both the United States and Greece. She was a devote Christian throughout her life, and would practice her faith in secret when under communist rule. When her family moved to the United States, she became a devote member of the St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn, MA. Her children and grandchildren loved Yiayia’s famous byrek and melomakarona cookies and she would spend endless hours knitting papuche (slippers) to ensure that no family member would have cold feet. Panajota was resilient, resourceful, loving, economical, and selfless, as she sacrificed everything for the Liti family as its Matriarch. Panajota embodied these characteristics throughout her life and instilled them into all her children and grandchildren.

She is predeceased by her first son, Margarit (Marko) Liti (deceased when he was 2 years of age), her daughter, Leonora Patoku, and her two brothers, Kristo and Lefter Qendro. She is survived by her three children, Vasili Liti (and Katerina) of Greece; Margarit (Marko) Liti (and Zhaneta Liti) of Marblehead, MA; and Llambrini Liti (and Anastasios Karachontzitis) of , Greece; her son-in-law, Kostandin Patoku of Lynn, MA; eight grandchildren, Leonart Patoku (and Zamira Patoku) of North Andover, MA, Erion Patoku(and Eliona Patoku) of Danvers, MA; Andrea Patoku of Peabody, MA; Jani Liti Jr. (and Jorgjia Liti) of Greece ; Dr. Ajisa Liti (and Michael Tentindo) of Boston, MA; Maria Liti of Greece, Kris Liti of Marblehead, MA; and Angeliki Karachontzitis of Greece. She is also survived by her sister, Figali Jorgaqi of Greece and her five great grandchildren, Kostandin, Alexandra, George, Leonora, and Mathieu Patoku.

Friends and family are invited to attend Panajota’s visitation on Thursday, June 16, 2022 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home, 157 Maple Street, Lynn. Her funeral will be held on Friday June 17, from the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home at 10:00 AM, followed by a funeral service in St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, 5 Paleologos St, Peabody, at 11:00 AM. Burial will be held at Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem.