- Date Of Birth: January 24, 1935
- Date Of Death: October 27, 2022
- State: Connecticut
Nick Kolitsas, 87, of Lakeworth, FL, husband of Mary (Batis) Kolitsas, died on Thursday, October 27, 2022.
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Nick Kolitsas, 87, formerly of Danbury, Connecticut, son of the late Konstandinos and Andriana Kolitsas of Aprovato, Andros, Greece, left this life on Thursday, October 27, survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Mary (Batis) Kolitsas, his children, Dino Kolitsas and Anna (Kolitsas) Koulouris, daughter-in-law Denise Liquori-Kolitsas, son-in-law Kostas Koulouris, grandchildren Marina and Nicole Kolitsas, and Yiannis and Nikos Koulouris, godsons John A. Vlamis and James Kourgielis, and goddaughter Nicole (Zabetakis) Lotko.
At age 20, Nick joined the Greek merchant marines, sailing from his home on the Greek island of Andros until he reached the Eastern shores of the United States. On his first day in his adopted country, he walked into a pharmacy and purchased a newspaper and a dictionary, determined to learn the language because he knew at once that America would offer him the opportunity to create a better life.
As with many of his compatriots, his first job in this new land was as a dishwasher. With great haste, however, he learned the culinary arts from some of the best chefs in New York City and within five years of arriving, had opened his first business; Two Nicks, a luncheonette in Teaneck, New Jersey. Over the years he worked as a highly sought-after chef and owned a series of restaurants, the last of which was The Elms in Patterson, New York.
If the garments of his trade were kitchen whites, Nick nevertheless insisted on leaving his home every morning in a suit and tie. At work, he was a chef, but after work, he was sometimes a doctor, sometimes a mechanic, sometimes a lawyer, and sometimes a barber (his scissors worked on the heads of all the neighborhood boys).
As a friend and neighbor, he was always the first with a smile, the first one on the dance floor, and the first one to lend a helping hand. His larger-than-life personality filled the room, and everywhere he went, he had only friends. A generous man with a big heart, Nick made sure to give more than he took; opening his home to both his fellow ex-pat Greeks and Americans of all backgrounds, all of whom left filled with delicious food, wine, and love.
Zorba-like in every way, believed very strongly that hard work needed to be balanced with a good time and he applied all of his energies to the pursuit of both.
Eonia i Mnimi
