Presvytera Anna Angelis

Presvytera Anna fell asleep in the Lord on October 22, 2026, at the age of 84, in her home. With her husband, Fr. John Angelis, she served the Church with dedication, wisdom, and true love. She used humor, compassion, hard work, and wonderful stories to connect with every member of the many communities she served. She devoted herself to helping those in need, and she especially sought out those without family, or without homes. She invited them to stay with her family and supported them with love as they rebuilt their lives. She also was a skilled and insightful nurse and a fantastic cook. What gave her the most joy, however, was her family. She was a deeply loving and devoted mother, yiayia, and proyiayia.

Presvytera Anna was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1942, to refugee parents from Cappadocia, Turkey. They raised her, and her two older brothers Vasilios and Stephanos, in the Church and taught them the value of service and generosity. Her mother died when she was 15 years old, and her father died the next year, leaving her orphaned at 16. She went to work while finishing high school, helping to support and care for her brothers. Her eldest brother, Vasilios, left the U.S. Army after their parents died and worked to support his siblings. With his help, she attended nursing school at Beth Israel Hospital, now part of Harvard University, and her brother Stephanos attended Holy Cross Seminary.

Her brother introduced her to a young seminarian from Greece, Fr. John. They fell in love and married in 1964 and lived in Greece from 1965-66, where Father John pursued post-graduate studies. They were assigned to a parish in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1966, where they welcomed their three children: Luke, Elizabeth, and Theodore. While in Minnesota, Presvytera Anna began the ministry that would define her and Fr. John’s lives. Despite raising three small children, Presvytera hosted dozens of visitors at her home every Sunday, was active in the Philoptochos, and helped the church rebuild after a devastating fire. She continued her work at each new parish, serving in Sacramento, California from 1975-81, in Fresno, California from 1981-1986, in Chandler, Arizona from 1986-1993, and in Seattle, from 1993-2008. At each parish, she formed lifelong friendships and rejoiced in spending time with parishioners. Her infectious laugh, her hilarious stories, and her deep affection for everyone made her easy to love. She was a Presvytera for everyone, taking care to welcome all with a special focus on those without family and those in dire need.

She and Father John retired from their active ministry in 2008, but they (unsurprisingly) immediately answered the call of duty again. Between 2008 and 2016, they served as temporary Priest and Presvytera in Honolulu, Tacoma, Portland, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Phoenix, at the monastery at St. Nicholas Ranch, and in Pasco, Washington.

Presvytera Anna was especially devoted to her grandchildren. Stephanie was her first grandchild, and Presvytera Anna was proud to have helped raise her and guide her into adulthood after Presvytera Anna’s daughter Elizabeth, and her grandchildren Fischer and Ian died in a fire in 1998. Presvytera Anna also adored her grandchildren Christopher and Nicoletta, born to her son Luke and her daughter-in-law Marcia. She was so grateful to be an active part of their lives as they grew up. She also loved spending time with her grandchildren Katherine and Johnny, born to her son Theo and her daughter-in-law Kim. During her final year, her greatest joy was seeing her great grandson Amitai, the child of Stephanie and her husband Yarden.

Presvytera Anna was a master storyteller until her final days. She loved sharing the details of her humorous adventures, ranging from sneaking pizza to hungry seminarians in her youth when women were barred from campus, to passing her nursing exam despite mistakenly believing it was a practice test and finishing in in 20 minutes so that she could go to the beach, to hiking miles up a mountain in Greece in high heels and in the winter when an earthquake blocked the way to the Church, to arguing with doctors and gently (and sometimes not so gently) correcting them when they overlooked something critical for a patient’s care.

Presvytera Anna was a bright light who saw the goodness in everyone. Even after her stroke in 2021, she found joy in every part of her life. She never let pain or physical setbacks dampen her sunny outlook. She will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Fr. John, her sons Luke (Marcia) and Theo (Kim), her grandchildren Stephanie (Yarden), Christopher, Nicoletta, Katherine and Johnny, and her great grandson Amitai. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Athansia Avramides in Greece, her nephew Loukianos (Valerie) Avramides of Virginia (and their daughter), Christina (Dean) Vose of Cranston, Rhode Island (and their children), her nephew Loukianos (Nota) Avramides of Seattle and Greece (and their son), her niece Ephemia (Niko) Karagianni of Greece (and their five children), her cousin Simoni Shirland (and her children Julian and Tanya). She also is survived, on Fr. John’s side, by her niece Dimitra (Dimitri) Kaniamos of Florida, her niece Yula (Jim) of North Carolina, and many other nieces and nephews from Fr. John’s six siblings in Greece.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Elizabeth, her grandsons Fischer and Ian, her brother Vasilios and sister-in-law Kaite, and her brother Fr. Stephanos.

Donations, in lieu of flowers, should be made to St. Demetrios Sunday School or St. Demetrios Philoptochos. 2100 Boyer Ave E Seattle, WA 98112

TRISAGION - October 28, 2026 11:00am St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Seattle, Washington

FUNERAL- (Following the Trisagion) St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Seattle, Washington

RECEPTION - (Following the Funeral) St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Seattle, Washington

INTERMENT - (Following the Reception) Evergreen Washelli Cemetery

May her memory be eternal!