Betty Kouldukis

Our mom, Vasiliki (Betty) was born in Greece on the 3rd of June 1934, in Zaharo, a small town on the western shore of Peloponissos. Her father, George Karoumbalis, worked as a conductor with the train transportation company. Due to his job, Papou George was transferred to a small town south of Zaharo, called Kyparissia, where our mom grew up.

Just a few years after our mother’s birth, Italy invaded Greece followed by the German invasion and occupation which began in April 1941. WWII for Greece had begun when our mother was only six years old. During the early years of the war, mom witnessed terrible atrocities including the execution of innocent men. She spoke of her experiences in Greece during the war with many tears and pain in her heart. For this, and due to the patriotic fervor in his heart, our grandfather joined the Greek underground, undermining the German occupation. As the Germans were looking for all subversives, our grandfather eventually had to take his wife Eleni, my mother and her four siblings into the countryside to avoid capture and execution. There, our mother, and her family, suffered terribly, primarily for lack of food. Often our grandparents wouldn’t eat so our mother and her siblings could. It was a very difficult time. They made it through only by the grace and blessings of our Lord.

After the war ended in 1945, the civil war in Greece began in 1946 and lasted for a little over three years, ending in 1949. After the end of the civil war, our mother went to school, finished high school in Kyparissia, then went to Patras to attend the teacher’s academy there. She never finished her education as she was presented with the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. As she didn’t feel like there were opportunities in Greece after so many years of war, when asked if she wanted to immigrate to the United States, she said, “Yes!”

Our grandparents were friends with the Tountas family in Seattle. The Tountas family were willing to legally adopt our mother so she could immigrate. While arrangements were being made for mom’s travel, the laws in the United States changed in 1952 which limited, and even barred, foreign immigration. This change in law was driven by communist fears that were prevalent at the time. Hence, it appeared that our mother’s desire to immigrate to the United States wasn’t going to happen.

Mr. Tountas, however, having political connections, was able to ask that a private law be passed to allow our mother to fulfil her dream of coming to America. Hence, a special act of congress was passed on 1954 on the 13th of August. The act reads as follows: “Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, for the purpose of sections 101 (a) (27) (A) and 205 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the minor child, Vasiliki Tountas (nee Vasiliki Georgion Karoumbali), shall be held and considered to be the natural born alien child of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Tountas, citizens of the United States.” With this special act of congress, our mother moved to the United States in 1954, at the age of twenty, without knowing the English language, leaving her family behind in Greece for a new life in America.

A little more than a year after she immigrated, our mother met and married our father, Bill Kouldukis, on the 15th of January 1956. She had many suitors, as our mother was truly very beautiful. However, her marriage to our father was an arranged marriage as the Tountas family knew our father’s parents and didn’t give my mother a choice. Although it was an arranged marriage, which was typical in the Greek culture at the time, the marriage worked! My parents were happily married for fifty-nine years.

In the early sixties, while raising us, mom found a job working for Vernell’s Fine Candies. She would tell us that at that time she had a very difficult time finding work. At every interview, she was told she didn’t have experience, and on that premise, she was denied one job after another. Finally, when interviewing at Vernell’s, when she was told, once again, she was not qualified due to a lack of experience, she found the inner strength to advocate for herself. After telling her story of being denied one job after another due to a lack of experience, she said to the Vernell’s interviewer, “How can I gain experience if no one gives me an opportunity to gain that experience!” That day, Vernell’s hired her! At that time, computers were new to businesses. My mother was one of the first computer punch card operators for Vernell’s.

In 1969, after living in Ballard for thirteen years, we moved to our home in Kenmore. It was at our Kenmore home where my brother and I spent our pre-teen and teen years. While living in Kenmore, our mother spent the first ten years at home raising us. After we graduated from high school, she went to work for Nordstrom’s in 1980 selling cosmetics and fragrances. She worked for Nordstrom’s for over ten years and was a top salesperson. Like our dad, our mom excelled in sales attaining Pacesetter Status in multiple years. Pacesetter Status was obtained by those salesclerks who attained their sales goal. In 1985, our mother attained 594% of her goal!! She eventually became an assistant manager of the fragrance and cosmetic department she worked in, was well respected by her co-workers, and appreciated by her fragrance and cosmetic customers.

While working, our mom, together with our father, raised us in the Orthodox Church. They made Church attendance a priority in their lives. Although mom worked outside the home for many years, the Church was an important and central part of her life. Together with our father, mom spent years singing in the St. Demetrios choir. As a family, we would attend Church most every Sunday, receive communion together regularly and, every year, go to confession together as a family. In addition, mom worked annually at the St. Demetrios festival. Together with our dad, they were founding members of the Holy Apostles parish. When Fr. Dean and his family moved to Seattle, they transitioned to the Assumption parish to, as my parents said, “enjoy their time with their grandchildren.” In the thirteen years they spent at the Holy Church of the Assumption, our parents, in keeping with their tradition, attended Liturgy most every Sunday and sang in the choir. It was even more of a joy for them when their oldest grandson, Christopher, directed the choir. For approximately six years, they sang under his direction which brought joy to their hearts. After her stroke in 2014, mom would always, with anticipation, look forward to receiving the Eucharist which she had the blessing to do, one last time, the day before she died.

Our mother was known for the joyful parties she and my dad would host every year during the celebration of their name day. Our home was elegantly decorated as our mother was blessed with the gift of interior decoration. She was an outstanding cook. She always wanted the best for the both of us. She was able to assist her sister (Aunt Gabriella) to immigrate to America from Greece. She was there to unselfishly lend a helping hand not only to us, but to our extended family as well. She helped those who were less fortunate and helped take care of the weak. For those who didn’t have a family, she quickly became their family and was there to help those in need. Ultimately, our mother had a good and gracious heart and was a good friend. For all the above, and for so much more, she will be remembered and greatly missed.

Mom is survived by us, her sons Fr. Dean (Valerie) and George and her three grandchildren: Christopher, Constantine, and Elissa. She is also survived by her numerous immediate and extended relatives in Greece; sisters-in-law Toula and Eiulia Karoumbalis, her many nieces and nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. In addition, she is survived by her godchildren; Amanda White and Greg Plumis, and their families. She is preceded in her passing by her sisters; Gabriella Dimos, Popi Foufopoulou, by her brothers, Photi and Saki Karoumbalis and by her niece Jane Dimos.

Betty’s funeral will be celebrated at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption on Tuesday, the 8th of March, beginning at 11:00 am. The funeral will also be streamed online. You may access the streaming link at https://assumptionseattle.org/live_broadcast.html. There will be a mercy meal following the funeral, followed by the Trisagion at her place of burial, at Acacia Cemetery, at 2:00 pm. Acacia Cemetery is located at 14951 Bothell Way NE, in Seattle.

Donations may be made to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption. All donations will go toward the parish’s Building Repair and Renovation Fund for the continued improvement of the interior of the Church. All memorial donations may be sent to the Church at 1804 13th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122-2515. You may also make a memorial donation on-line at https://secure.myvanco.com/L-YW7C/campaign/C-10NYM.

May her memory be eternal!