Joann Pappas

Joann Pappas (née Tzanakakis) of Pittsburgh, PA died peacefully in her home on June 29, 2018. She was 74 years old. Born in Hania on the island of Crete, in Greece, she married the late Christ Pappas in 1962 and emigrated to the United States as a teenager, building her family and life in her new country for the next five decades. She is survived by her son, Andrew and daughter-in-law Angela, and the greatest loves of her life, her grandchildren Christos, Nektarios and Manoli; and her son Gregory and son-in-law Agamemnon Polyzois. Upon arriving in the United States she immersed herself into the life of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church where she raised her family and established life-long friendships, celebrated numerous family weddings, baptisms, and buried her late husband. She was also a life-long member of the Cretan Association of Pittsburgh, always remembering the island of her birth. Joann built a successful small business from her home, providing seamstress services to dozens of small clothing shops throughout the area and hundreds of individuals who stopped by the house for a hem here or a stitch there. Most will remember her for her love for her Church, for her cooking, her full house of people and her lack of judgement towards anyone. In addition to her immediate family, she is survived by her brother Michael Tzanakakis (Theodora) and their children and families, Georgia, Joann and Maria; sisters Maria Tzanakaki and Voula Bassia (Manoli); brother Dionisis Tzanakakis (Irini) in Crete, and her sister Katina Petrakis (John) in Australia, as well as a loving family of godchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews in Greece, Australia and the United Kingdom. Viewing will take place on Sunday, July 1, 2018 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (985 Providence Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA) from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. A Trisagion service will take place at 7:00pm. The funeral will be held at Holy Trinity on Monday, July 2, 2018 at 11:00am with interment immediately following at Holy Trinity Cemetery. A makaria luncheon will follow at Holy Trinity immediately after internment hosted by her sister, Katina Petrakis. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church or to the Greek America Foundation’s scholarship endowment fund. Donate to Holy Trinity via check to: 985 Providence Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Donate to Greek America Foundation: 379 W Broadway #505, New York, NY 10012 or online here: https://greekamericafoundation.org/donate/