May 13! Looking at the sunrise and while it seemed that for the first day in months, we were going to enjoy a bright sun, suddenly bad hallucinations started to dominate our minds! Fear of what we never thought or heard of in our lives. But alas, as the fears were confirmed, our hearts tightened, our blood froze, and we all waxed waxy! We emptied ourselves inside trying in vain to give a single answer to a single question: «Why? Why? Why?». Thousands of «why» that will never be answered! Your adorable little girl, our beloved Nico, unfortunately had this thankless task of warning your neighborhood of what we have been dreading and dreading to hear all this time! Eyebrows clenched tightly, eyes began to water non-stop! You sank into your thoughts, no longer sharing them with your wonderful family.
You didn't need any luggage for your journey, just a soul full of beautiful memories, of wonderful images, of a full, full, human life! You still wanted to offer your family, your relatives, your friends, your neighbours and the whole Kytherian World! You wanted to offer to your beloved and beautiful village where you were born, you lived your childhood years together with your lovely brother George, since he will realize from today that your whole life will be empty without your presence by his side! How could the family of your good neighbor and friend Theophilus take this fact, when looking out of his yard or his glass window he saw you daily passing by in your car for the beautiful Livadi where you went for shopping, coffee, food and we exclaimed with joy: «Niko's coming through!».
Easter 1983! Now 2023! Exactly 40 long years! How can they be erased from our memory? With one week apart we both families entered the houses we built! You, in front of us, were waiting that afternoon in 1983 to greet us with a big archway where the whole family wrote: «Welcome Theophilus!» We were sure of one thing! That we would be living next door with the most excellent, hospitable, open-hearted neighbors and friends now! We felt you from the beginning and our own family! Thus began the beautiful journey of 40 years! Joys, sorrows, problems, worries, anxieties, sympathy and support always towards us, feasts, celebrations, weddings, christenings and children going back and forth from one house to another and making in their minds and hearts their own beautiful memories and colorful pictures of their childhood!
What a great thrill we all got when your beloved lad Panagiotis entered the Medical School, the university, after so much struggle and endless hours of study he managed to get his degree and today his star is shining all over Chirigo, his beloved city, and in America. He climbed to the highest rung of the ladder with his lovely wife Christiana as his support since she faithfully followed his dreams! The fruit of their great love is little Nicholas, a grandson who, with the strength of Christ and the Virgin Mary, continues worthily the heavy name of grandfather Nikos Vardas. Your adored daughter Elina, how much joy she gave you with her beautiful marriage to the excellent businessman Panagiotis, whom you loved and embraced as your own child now. They made a unique family, you all grew up together helping each other! Every time your voice echoed to call your grandchildren: ’Marianna George, be careful not to hurt yourself! Where are you?« »Come and eat! Then play!« The neighborhood was full of joy, liveliness, laughter. Your voice, our beloved Niko, our good neighbor and friend, will be heard louder from up there where you will be looking down and your wishes to your beautiful and worthy family will forever echo in their ears!
Your beloved Mary you left throughout your life, who gave you a wonderful family that with her dynamism, optimism and wide smile stood deservedly by your side all these years, will continue with the same zeal, with the same thirst to help, to stand by, to raise with virtues and love her beautiful grandchildren and to take care of them all, as you two always did for the family. How many homemakers don't eat bread from your hands? So much good, so many virtues and we mere spectators unable to lighten the weighty cross you lifted together, my Nick! But this was your wish and we all ought to respect it! You didn't want our dear Niko to burden anyone with your own problems, proud, proud, dignified always! You lived a happy life with your little girl, full of good things and emotions and travelling almost all over the world with your trips and excursions, soaking up every moment, filling it with beautiful images and memories. Open-hearted, optimistic, compassionate towards your fellow man. The station in all that you do was always your dear parents Babis and Nicoletta and the adorable Areti! Tremendous strength, kindness and lots of love to their dear Nick and all his family. May the Almighty God give you much courage, strength of soul, patience for the unjust and untimely loss of your beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and cousin Nikos! Our words will sound very poor for the greatness of your soul, but the popular pilgrimage that took place today to accompany you to your final resting place will forever reveal to all the Kythiraikos People your very worthy and deeply Christian passing from this life!
Have a good trip our dear neighbor and loyal friend Niko! Thank you for all the wonderful years! The whole family of Theophilus and Panoraia Lyris will always remember you with love, since you hold a great place in all of our hearts for the rest of our lives! Parents Theophilus and Panoraia! Eleanaki as he always called her, with Manolakis and wife Dimitris Aroni, Michael with Giota, Panoraia Myrto and Theophilus Raphael. Manolis Tzannis with Angeliki, Giannis, Theophilos, Angelikoula and their little Nikolas send you their last farewell with immense love, respect and appreciation! Eternal memory! Immortal!
