Olga Sapounakis
- 87 years old
- Male
- Born Feb 10, 1922
- Died Jan 17, 2010
- EARLWOOD, Australia
About
Sapounakis, Olga
SAPOUNAKIS, Olga.
January 17, 2010. Late of
Earlwood, formerly of Kingsford. Beloved wife of
Peter (deceased). Loved mother and mother-in-law of Maria and
Merrick, Helen and Roy. Loving grandmother of Peter, Helen
and Chris.
A funeral service for OLGA was held on Thursday (January 21, 2010) at St. Spyridon Greek
Orthodox Church, 72-76 Gardeners Road, Kingsford at
10 a.m. The interment service took place at Eastern
Suburbs Memorial Park.
The following Eulogy was read at the Church service:
OLGA SAPOUNAKIS
A strong and fearless person, Olga was born in Florina, Greece on 10 February 1922. She was the youngest of 5 children of Christos Siscou, a merchant and his wife, Eleni Siscou. The family was comparatively well off for those times and Olga was able to attend school and attain a level of education to high school certificate level.
As a teenager in Greece during World War 2, Olga came to see and know deprivation and suffering first hand. There was a German soldier billeted in the family home under orders of the occupying forces and this strained the family resources and created resentment in the household. At the same time, Olga became a volunteer nurse with the International Red Cross as her contribution to the war effort, and her services were subsequently acknowledged by her receiving a meritorious service medal.
In 1950, Olga came to Australia in the company of her older brother. She worked in the textile industry at Marco Productions in Balgowlah where she sewed men’s clothing. She enjoyed this work and was a skilled seamstress. For many years she continued to sew clothes for herself and her daughters. In time she sought and obtained employment at the Greek owned and operated New Chocolate Company, in Queen Street, Woollahra. There she met and subsequently married the boss, Peter Sapounakis.
They settled in Brookvale and the following year Maria was born with Helen following three years later. Tired of commuting from the Northern Beaches to Woollahra each working day, Peter and Olga purchased the house in Barker Street, Kingsford and this remained the family home for almost 50 years.
Olga concentrated her efforts as homemaker and parent, where she instilled a strong sense of duty and obligation in her children. She was a very social person who enjoyed cultivating friendships and many of those relationships have endured to this day. She was well known in her neighbourhood and was an active member of the local community.
She required excellence from others and demanded that her daughters study hard. The academic and vocational outcomes for both Maria and Helen were a source of pride for Olga throughout her entire life. Her grandchildren have been no less a source of similar pride for her.
Olga was a proud Greek and she was an active practitioner of the Greek Orthodox faith. She was an enthusiastic supporter of the construction of the St Spyridon Church in which we stand today.
The death of her husband Peter in September 2001 was a loss for the family, which no member has ever been able to overcome. Despite her desire that her life continue as before, Olga was not able to cope without the support of her late husband and in 2005 she retired to the Greek Orthodox Aged Care Facility in Earlwood. There she was both safe and well cared for and her last years were comfortable accordingly. During these past 4 months, Olga became increasingly frail and infirm. The care and kindness bestowed upon her particularly during this time by the team and staff at the Facility is acknowledged here today in the presence of us all. The efforts made by the team and staff were truly superb, and no one could have asked for more.
Olga is survived by her daughters, Maria and Helen, and her grandchildren Peter, Helen and Chris.
Olga Sapounakis
10.2.1922 – 17.1.2010
