George Tsikalakis' Obituary
George Tsikalakis, 93, of Liverpool, passed away on Friday, August 16, 2024. He was one of seven siblings born to Emanuel and Maria Tsikalakis in Crete, Greece. After moving to the US in the 1960s, he worked as a restaurant cook in Tulsa, OK, then as a laborer at Smith & Caffrey Steel and Learbury Clothes in Syracuse. He met his future wife, Theodora, in Syracuse, and they married and had two children.
The couple became naturalized US citizens in 1976. George believed in “the American dream”—that through hard work and the will to succeed, one can attain a better life. True to this ethos, George and Dora saved their modest earnings to purchase a home in Liverpool, where the family lived for 50 years and where George resided independently until just recently.
George’s passions were hunting and gardening. For many years he grew and harvested crops not only in his yard, but also on a small parcel of land he owned near the family home. He took pleasure in sharing his bounty—flowers, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce, and other produce—with family and friends.
He is predeceased by his wife Dora, his parents and sisters, Kalliope Vougiouka, Pellagia Sarigianni, Olga Zambos, Angela Petros, and Anna Shaver. George is survived by his two daughters, Mary Tsikalakis (John Rush) of Rochester and Emanouela Canzano (Frank) of Syracuse; four granddaughters, Amelia and Ava Bistrovich and Isabella and Francesca Canzano; a sister, Kyriaki Toumasis; and many nieces and nephews.
A special thank you goes out to the nurses and aides at Onondaga Center, and to his loving caregivers, especially Bethany Redmond, for their compassion and care.
A funeral service will be held at noon on Friday, August 23, 2024, at St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church. Friends may pay their respects at church after the mass. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery.
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