Dimitroula “Toula” Tsatis, 92, died peacefully surrounded by her loving family on March 22, 2015 at her home, Tatnuck Park Assisted Living.
Toula was born in the village of Arghirohori, Greece to Elizabeth and Athanasios Liolis. In 1949, she met and married her beloved husband Evangelos “Angelo” Tsatis, who predeceased her in 2011. They were married for 61 years.
She is survived by her son Arthur of East Brookfield, MA, her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Gary Peters of Worcester, MA and her daughter Joanne McMahan of Boston, MA. She was the very proud and loving “Yiayia” of Michael and Diana, of Worcester, MA, and Gregory, of Boston, MA.
Toula arrived in the United States in March of 1951 with her husband Angelo and their young son Arthur. In addition, to being a loving wife and mother, Toula worked for many years as a seamstress for various companies including Newton Sportswear and RJ Toomey. Toula retired as a food service worker from Westborough State Hospital in 1985.
Toula was extremely talented and working with her hands came naturally to her. She could crochet anything without using a pattern and enjoyed giving her handmade items to family and friends. She was also a wonderful baker, gardener and seamstress. Although she was an only child, Toula had very close cousins whom she loved like brothers and sisters including John and Kostas Nanis and Eleni Fakatselis.
Her humble and unassuming nature endeared her to many. Her grandchildren were the joy of her life and she would light up every time she saw them. Although Toula had limited English skills she bridged the language barrier with her grandchildren through her love of cooking Greek food. She enjoyed teaching them her favorite recipes. “Yiayia” made the best french fries from scratch, but her koulourakia were her specialty. Her family will miss her immensely.
Her family would like to thank the loving staff at Tatnuck Park where Toula recently made her home. The friends she made there and the activities that she joined in brought her great happiness. In addition to the staff at Tatnuck Park, the family would also like to thank Holy Trinity Hospice and her caregivers from Care with a Heart.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday, March 25th from O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue with a service at Noon in St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 102 Russell Street. Burial will be in Hope Cemetery. Calling hours are Tuesday, March 24, 2015 from 4:00 until 7:00 PM in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Endowment Fund, 102 Russell Street, Worcester, MA 01609 or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Massachusetts, 9 Erie Drive, Natick, MA 01760.