Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos' Obituary
Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos, 90, a Minnesota born public relations dynamo who served the Greek Orthodox church for decades, died at her home in Beachwood, Ohio on September 29, 2023.
Her husband, Rev. Dr. Robert G. Stephanopoulos, was by her side.
The daughter of Andrew and Margaret Chafos from Rochester, Minnesota, Nikki graduated from Rochester High School and the University of Minnesota before moving to New York City with the Campus Crusade for Freedom. Then she met her future husband, a young seminarian, at a church youth convention, and they embarked on a shared journey of faith and family for more than sixty years.
The couple spent their first year in Athens, where Nikki edited the Athens Daily Post, before settling in their first parish -- Saint Demetrios in Fall River, Massachusetts, where their four children were born. After eight years at the Church of our Savior in Rye, New York, they moved to Saint Constantine and Helen's Cathedral in Cleveland for eight years. During that time, Nikki edited The Voice (a Greek-American newspaper in Cleveland) and was the founding editor of The Illuminator, the newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
In 1982, Father Stephanopoulos became the Dean of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, and Nikki joined the Archdiocese, where she edited the Orthodox Observer and became Director of the Office of News and Information/Public Relations. During that time, she also served as the Orthodox press liaison in the Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches, and the press officer for the visits of Ecumenical Patriarchs Dimitrios and Bartholomew on their visits to the United States.
Upon her retirement in 2008, Archbishop Demetrios of America commended her "faithful and creative" work at the Archdiocese. "She has offered in an insightful and amiable way," he said, "her service in the various tasks of the Church which needed her contribution, and she has been an excellent liaison with significant journalists in the New York area."
Mrs. Stephanopoulos is survived by Father Robert, their four children, Mother Agapia, George, Marguarite and Andrew, her daughter-in-law Alexandra Wentworth, and her granddaughters Elliott Anastasia and Harper Andrea Stephanopoulos. Sharing their lives was her joy.
Funeral services will be held at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3352 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Hts., OH on Monday, October 2, 2023 at 12 noon. A traditional Makaria luncheon will be offered at the Cathedral following the burial at Lake View Cemetery. The family will receive visitors at the Cathedral on Monday, October 2 from 10:00 am – 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral Foundation.
Arrangements by Yurch Funeral Home.
Live streaming of the service will be available at https://www.youtube.com/stsconstantine
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