Virginia R.M. Magalios

Glory is the blessing of understanding life is a gift. Glory is the light of God and the wisdom to love all people. Glory is the ability to live a life of love, kindness and joy.

Virginia Magalios, mother of George and Alexia, wife of Elias, lived a life of glory. She died quietly in her sleep in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 24, 2025, as the world was ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. Born in 1931 in Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada to Kyriakos and Mary Pappas, a Greek and a Ukrainian immigrant, Virginia was, from the beginning, a lover of the world and a proud Canadian. Host of many parties intimate and large, a receiver of strangers and a giver of abundance, Virginia adored discovering new people, making new friends and creating a vibrant social life both in Montreal, where she lived many years, and upon her arrival in West Palm Beach with her family’s move in 1974. Life in South Florida in 1974 was extraordinary in many ways, particularly when compared to the sophistications and worldly qualities of Montreal. For Virginia Magalios the desire to create a new community was paramount and thus explained her enthusiasm for interacting with the other Greek families and for her love of St. Catherine’s church. While she never stopped loving Canada she opened her heart to a new love and a new life: the people of West Palm Beach and the United States. How much did Virginia love Canada and love life? When, after 15 years of mental decline due to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, she needed to express herself she would sing “O Canada”, the national Anthem of the nation up north, in a loud and glorious voice. It was poetry. It was sublime. It made everyone smile. Make no mistake, Virginia also loved her adopted country, the United States of America, so much so that she was the first on the block to mount the stars and stripes in front of her family’s house for national holidays. Virginia loved her community as well. As a member of the Philoptochos society and the Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church community for over 52 years, she volunteered countless hours leading church tours at the Greek Festival, headlined a benefit to raise money for a medical helicopter known as the “Trauma Hawk” and baked countless sweets (those melamakarona!) for the church. But her devotion to her country and to her church pale in comparison to her devotion to her family. Virginia was a dynamo chef, making exquisite dinners and baked goods to feed her family for over 40 years. A mother’s duty is never ending, a mother’s love for her children and husband is demonstrated by all the moments facing life’s challenges with grace and humility. Virginia Magalios was famous in the community for her elegance and style, serving all guests in her home with

drinks in crystal and dishes on fine porcelain, be it a trash collector, a neighbor or a relative. Hers was a life of quality and a life of quiet exquisite taste, all exemplars of the life of glory. Virginia spent countless hours nurturing her children, teaching them the values of

the Christian way, teaching them to honor their elders, their parents, and the members of their community. Hers was not an easy path, being born in relatively humble beginnings and suffering a variety of adverse moments in the difficult years of the 1930s and 1940s. Along the way she learned to speak fluent French and Greek, wrote in perfect penmanship, and was a traveler of the world who

danced unabashedly when the inspiration visited her. A lover of old movies and antiques, Virginia invented the term “connoisseur”, all with only a high school education, all while raising two children with Elias, her husband and taking care of her aging mother. The life of glory knows no limits. To love life is to love Beauty and to love one’s fellow human beings. Virginia demonstrated these principles with every gift, with every interaction and with every gesture, whether it was translating for a Greek immigrant in a court of law who spoke no English to raising money for a charitable cause. Virginia was beloved by all who knew her. Generosity takes two forms: in our opening of our hearts to others and in our giving to those in need. Virginia gave generous holiday gifts to the trash collectors and mailman, to the gardeners and grocery clerks, each wrapped beautifully, each a form of love and gratitude, usually a plate of Greek pastries. That was the Greek spirit of generosity. That was Virginia. In her later years, from the age of 65 onwards, Virginia suffered from various afflictions that required full-time care, particularly from her devoted husband and son. During this time, as she was preparing her passage into heaven, those who cared for her, those who saw her in her diminished state, could still see that light, hat beauty, that love and that kindness. It would appear with a smile. It would be revealed with a simple “Thank You” when her husband visited her in her nursing home. It would ring with the words “You are wonderful!” to her son as her speech and her physical condition where nearing their mortal end. In her final days she would attempt to get out of bed and walk to Montreal saying “I want to go to Canada.” Her last words were “I love you!”. The best way to honor those we love and have lost is to live a beautiful life, a life of kindness to all, a life of generosity and forgiveness, a life of unconditional love to those closest to us. These are the inspirations of the life of glory that Virginia Magalios lived. There is no higher calling.

A visitation will be held at Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, located at 110 Southern Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, on December 31, 2025, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.

The funeral service will follow at the same location from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.

A committal service will take place at Hillcrest Memorial Park, 6411 Parker Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, on December 31, 2025, from 12:30 pm to 12:45 pm.