It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Maria (Mara) Opassinis (Nee Nikalaidou) surrounded by her loving family at 10 PM on February 19th, 2024 at the age of 92. She was the beloved mother and best friend of only child Angeliki Vandelinder (Nee Opassinis). Cherished Baba (grandmother) to her only 2 grandsons, who she put above all else, Peter and Brian Vandelinder. Beloved wife to the late Petros Opassinis, whom her first grandchild is named after. Dear daughter of the late Krste Nikolaidis and Eleni Nikolaidou, and daughter-in-law to the late Vangel Opasinis and Eleni Opasini. Predeceased by her brother Vangel Nikolaidis and sister Anatasia Thomadakis. Survived by her brother Nikos Nikolaidis and close and cherished sister Irini Minovski. Predeceased by other extremely loved and valued family members and in-laws, as well as survived by extremely loved extended family members and in-laws from Greece (Macedonia), Australia, the US, and Canada.
Born on November 17th, 1931, Baba Mara, as she is known by much of the family spent her early days as a young girl growing up in a full house of brothers and sisters that she loved dearly in the village of Bouf (Akritas) in Macedonia, Greece. As a young girl, Maria went to the Girl’s School in her home village of Bouf (Akritas) and was educated only until grade 2, despite being a highly intelligent woman with many talents from a young age. She had to leave school to help her parents gather crops and look after her younger siblings, all while learning how to be the perfect homemaker for when she would one day have a family of her own. Maria loved singing and dancing as a young girl and was also part of dance group that she participated in regularly. She also grew up with her best friend Kata, whom she spent much time with, before meeting the man she fell in-love with, Petros Opasinis.
At the age of 26, Maria finally met the love of her life and the man she was to marry and spend 55 beautiful and committed years together. Maria and Petros finally gave birth to their first and only child at the age of 29, Angeliki Opasini, often known by the whole family as Aca (Atsa). After the birth of her first and only child Maria and Petros moved to the nearby city of Lerin (Florina) to live and work. Maria was a homemaker, looking after the house and her daughter Aca (Atsa), while her devoted husband worked as a Truck Driver to provide financially stability for the family and saved money for their eventual departure from Greece in search of a better life here in Canada. Maria arrived in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1968 with her husband and 9-year-old daughter, with only a few chests, trunks, and suitcases of their most precious belongings.
Once in Canada, Maria worked 2 jobs, her first was at Rust A Shield, working as a general labourer in extremely dirty conditions, before she found her second job as a prep chef, at the now closed Elmwood Casino. Eventually her husband Petros was able to find good work at Chrysler’s Canada and Maria could go back to doing what she did best - being a wife, mother, and homemaker. Maria always made sure to cook with the cleanest ingredients, opting to use the fruits and vegetables she had grown in her massive backyard garden, as opposed to buying produce from the stores. She always made sure she cooked and cleaned throughout the day so her husband and daughter could arrive at a clean home, with home-cooked meals made from scratch and from the crops she grew and tended with her own hands.
Maria loved gardening above all other hobbies and interests. Her favourite flowers were roses and basil. She always made sure to wear a fragrant rose bound with basil in her bra, and never used perfumes or makeup on her skin. This signature scent is how most will remember her aroma when she was around. It should be no surprise that her favourite season was the Spring, watching all the Spring flowers blossom and planting her seeds from the previous year’s crop to prepare for Summer and Autumn harvest. If Maria was not out in the garden, cooking, or cleaning, she could be found inside taking care of husband, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. She absolutely loved spending time with her family, and the happiest moments of her life here in Canada was watching her only daughter Aca (Atsa) be married to her now late husband Brian Vandelinder, and then them giving birth to 2 beautiful baby boys Peter and Brian respectively. Once her grandchildren were born, they became her life and sole reason for living.
Maria had a mischievous streak to her and loved playing jokes on her family, especially on April Fool’s Day. One time she sent her daughter down to the Marina and told her that they had purchased a boat, and had sent her all the way out there to find nothing. Maria was also an extremely altruistic person, always giving and never taking. Even in the last years of her old age, when she needed to be cared for, all Maria worried about was the fact that she wanted to continue taking care of her family. It is this dedication and persistence to constantly help others that she will be remembered the most for. She will be deeply missed by many, but none more so than her brothers and sisters, deceased and living. Her only daughter, and her 2 beautiful and loving grandsons Peter and Brian.
“My whole life with you I was able to run, now I am only able to walk.”
-Peter Vandelinder (Opasinis)
Visitation will be held on Sunday, February 25, 2024 from 2:00pm-5:00pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm with parish prayers at 7:30pm at Anderson Funeral Home and Cremation Centre (895 Ouellette Ave. Windsor 519-969-5841). Friends and family are invited directly to St. Nicholas Macedonian Church (5225 Howard Ave. Windsor) for a funeral mass at 10:00am. Followed by a procession to Windsor Memorial Gardens for interment.
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