- Date Of Birth: April 11, 1947
- Date Of Death: December 6, 2021
- State: Massachusetts
Nick Elefther, of West Yarmouth, passed away on December 6, 2021. He was 74 years old.
My father was born on April 11, 1947 at the American Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Nick was the first generation and last American-born son of the late George and Sophia Elefther, two Greek immigrants who came from Katerini, Greece to escape post-war famine. The family settled in New York through Ellis Island with their five children in tow, Despina, Eleftherios, Anna, Gus, and Harry in search of a better life in America. After losing Papou George to cancer at the tender age of two, Dad’s family moved to Astoria, New York. He grew up as the “American” baby of the family, and as such, he was given much attention from his mother and siblings including a more lenient upbringing than a typical Greek family in the 1950’s. The standing family joke, was that dad was the tallest and strongest in the family because he was privileged to drink the good American milk.
In 1965, along with his brother Harry, he enlisted in the Military. Dad was an Army Specialist and served as a Medic on helicopter transports stationed in Germany. Dad spoke fondly of his army days which granted him the ability to travel around Europe and be present for his brother, Gussie’s wedding in Greece.
In 1971, at his Mother’s constant urging to find and marry a nice Christian Greek girl from Boston, Nick met the only love of his life, Zoe Tsaniklides. Shortly thereafter, they were married and settled in West Roxbury. Nick and Zoe enjoyed 50 amazing years of marriage and raised three daughters, Sophia, Vasso, and Elizabeth. In a household full of woman, Dad would joke that he needed one guy on his side, he got his wish with his two fabulous son-in-laws, Brian and Nico. He always looked to them for an SOS in times when he was overruled. Dad was a loving and generous Papou to his two grandchildren, Zoe and Nora. They spent summers with him down the Cape and he brought them to Disney World when he and Mom spent the winters in Florida.
After he married, Dad worked three jobs and went to night school to get his Associates Degree in Business from Northeastern University. He worked very hard to provide for his family, ultimately sending all three of his girls to college.
Family was most important – Yiayia Sophia (dad’s mom) was sad when he moved to Boston, so dad was always planning our holidays and vacations to coincide with our relatives so the entire Elefther family was together on the Cape for two weeks every summer. During his life, He enjoyed many hobbies, which included, fishing, traveling, watching the history channel and reading Christian documentaries. He especially liked to do genealogical research, to the great dismay of us in our teenage years who found his constant sharing of obscure facts about Jonas King embarrassing. His favorite pastime was walking to his local deli for a good Italian sandwich, a cream soda, and indulging on his ever so decadent ring dings which were never shared.
Most importantly, Dad loved the Lord. In 1972, as a young Christian, he joined the tight knit community of Greek Evangelicals.
The last years of dad’s life have been impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Through his battle with this illness, my mom has been a constant companion, a selfless caregiver and a source of resilient strength to my father and all of us. The Alzheimer’s steady and relentless decline took away his memory and his autonomy but it did not take away his heart which was always full of steadfast love for his family. He also never lost his sense of humor. Dad would always make us laugh even in the toughest days. It has been a difficult struggle to witness but we always felt God’s providence and care for Dad even in the smallest details. Dad life could be summed up as a man who was always surrounded by the love of his family-our uncles, aunts, cousins, friends and especially the kindness from the many nurses, aides, and doctors.
Thank you for honoring my Dad by being here with us today as we mourn his death but also celebrate his extraordinary life. We rejoice that he is now at peace and home with his Father in heaven.
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Pastor Adam:
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Nick was the dear and devoted husband of 50 years to Zoe (Tsaniklides). Loving father of Sophia Elefther , Vasso Mathes and her husband Brian and Elizabeth Eleni Sonnenberg and her husband Nico. Cherished grandfather, “Pappou,” of Zoe and Nora Mathes. Dear brother of Eleftherios Elefther and his wife Geany, the late Despina and Peter Markopoulos, the late Gus Elefther and his wife Catina, Anna Stefanidis and her late husband Harry, Harry Elefther and his wife Lee. Brother-in-law of Demetrios Tsaniklides and his wife Angela, Anna Peides and her husband Costa. Nick is also survived by many much-loved nieces and nephews.
