- Date Of Death: February 3, 2016
- State: Connecticut
Sophie Daskalakis, age 86, passed away peacefully on February 3, 2016 at her home in Clinton, CT. Sophie was surrounded with the love of family members during her final days following a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born Sophie Kerassidou on February 10, 1929, she enjoyed a blissful early childhood with her parents and sister and brother in Athens, Greece where she was born. Sophie graduated from high school at the top of her class in 1947, enduring the peak of World War II and its devastating effect on life in Greece during and after the War. Despite not having the chance to attend university, Sophie dearly valued her education and was fluent in Greek, French and English. Following high school in Athens, Sophie made the adventurous decision to seek new horizons for herself and arrived in the United States in December 1948 at the age of 19, leaving behind her family and friends in Athens. Sophie settled in Philadelphia, PA and soon married and had her first child, John Elefteriades. Tragically, Sophie was widowed in 1952 and left to care for her two year old son on her own. Rather than return to Greece and the support of her family there, Sophie decided to stay in Philadelphia with the hope of providing for her son more opportunity in the United States than he may have in Greece. Utilizing all of her tremendous fortitude and resourcefulness, Sophie managed her life as a widow, single mother and immigrant until she was blessed to meet Elias Daskalakis, who like Sophie, emigrated from Greece following World War II. Sophie and Elias married in 1957. Elias raised Sophie’s son John and, together, Sophie and Elias had three beautiful daughters, Marissa, Georgia and Eleni. The Daskalakis family made their home in Broomall, PA in suburban Philadelphia where Sophie was a full time mother and homemaker and Elias was an engineer. In Elias, Sophie found the most devoted husband and father whose kindness and heart know no bounds. Their marriage sustained and thrived for almost 60 years. Sophie and Elias were completely committed to one another in marriage and as parents. Elias provided the most loving care to Sophie throughout her life and, in particular, throughout her battle against Alzheimer’s.In addition to Elias, Sophie’s four children were the light of her life. She treasured John, Marissa, Georgia and Eleni. The hopeful risk she took as a teenager to come to America was manifest in her four children. For them, she tirelessly dedicated her life for their future. She demanded high academic effort and achievement; she kept a beautiful home filled with love and support; and she always dressed her children impeccably for all occasions. Sophie was an enormously proud woman, and her children always reflected her great pride. Sophie’s life goal to provide opportunity for her four children was achieved with immeasurable success as defined not only by their significant accomplishments across varied professional pursuits (from medicine to teaching to architecture and to business) but also by the extraordinary people that they are and the loving and lasting legacy they offer to their mother. Those who knew and loved Sophie will always cherish the magic that she created in her kitchen.
