| Nora (Senorita Sarantos) Vlahakis |
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Nora (Senorita Sarantos) Vlahakis
Nora (Senorita Sarantos) Vlahakis, 94 passed away peacefully on Tuesday August 23 at Lowell General Hospital.She was the beloved wife of the late Nicholas C. Vlahakis, who passed away in 1985, and with whom she enjoyed 31 years of marriage.Born in Lowell on November 2, 1927, she was the youngest daughter of the late Peter and Mary (Gickas) Sarantos.. A graduate of Lowell High School, Nora attended St. Basil’s Academy in Garrison, NY, and Lowell State College.She was a devoted educator, retiring from the Dracut Public Schools where she taught grades 3 and 5 for nearly 20 years. Earlier in her career, she held Greek School teaching posts in Ohio and Lowell’s Transfiguration Church.We are so proud of our mom and her many accomplishments, including returning to college when her daughters were in high school. Nora completed her B.A. in Elementary Education at Rivier College and earned a master’s degree at Fitchburg State College.After leaving her teaching career, Nora enjoyed nearly 30 years of retirement at her home in Hampton, NH. She traveled with old and new friends to Greece, Paris, the Holy Land, and around the U.S. She enjoyed cruises with family to the Caribbean, Alaska, and the New England coast as well as many vacations to the White Mountains, Florida, Vermont, and Maine. Nora was an active parishioner at St. Nicholas Church in Portsmouth and a lifelong parishioner of the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell.Nora is survived by her two daughters: Evanthea Vlahakis (partner Joanne Johnston) and MaryAnn (Vlahakis) Darvirris (husband Louis), all of Dracut. We are so grateful to MaryAnn and Louis for their exceptional care of Nora in their home for the past four years. She leaves three granddaughters and their husbands: Nicole and Jay Piper of Belmont, MA; Pamela and Andrew Heidt of Cambridge, England; and Nora Darvirris and Brandon Czaja of Chicago, IL; and three great-granddaughters: Fotene Piper, Orianthi Piper, and Octavia Heidt. She also leaves her oldest sister Despina “Dot” Dinopoulos of Dracut and sister-in-law Elpenice “Niki” Sarantos of Florida; 13 nieces and nephews; 2 godchildren; and many cousins.In addition to her husband, Nora was predeceased by her sister-in-law Fotene Vlahakis; four brothers: George Sarantos, Charles Sarantos, Theodore Sarantos, and the Rev. John Sarantos; two sisters: Christine Economou and Elizabeth Lemondes; and their spouses.The family is thankful for the compassionate care Nora received from the staff at Lowell General Hospital.Services were held privately for the family. E-condolences at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Donations in Nora’s memory may be made to the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, 25 Father John Sarantos Way, Lowell, MA 01854. Arrangements by the O'DONNELL FUNERAL HOME, LOWELL, MA, (978) 458-8768. |
