Chrisoula (Sfikas) Hantzopoulos, age 87, died peacefully early Thursday morning in her home, surrounded by her family who adored her. Known as Chriso or Chris, she was born in Greece on the island of Poros to Konstantinos and Eleni (Koryzis) Sfikas. In early 1940, her family of 13 left to live on a farm on the Peloponnese, where they were able to escape much of the conflict and famine during World War II and the civil war that followed. Chriso was only able to complete 5th grade and had to work on the farm out of necessity.

Her desire for a different life led her to write her cousin living in Lynn, MA and ask him to send her a ticket to America. He did and she arrived in New York City in October 1961 and made her way to Lynn. She soon met her husband Epaminondas (Peter) and married in July 1962. They settled in Peabody where they had five children and always hosted relatives and family friends as they immigrated to this country. Among her many jobs, she worked as a garment worker for Domenico in Lynn, and for over 17 years worked as a bagger at Market Basket where she went on strike at 80 years of age. The onset of Alzheimer’s led to her retirement but she continued to bring joy and laughter to the lives of those who knew her. Her abundant garden, incredible cooking, and homemade Greek pastries were always shared amongst her neighbors and family. She shared 55 years of marriage with her husband Peter before he passed away in January 2018. She is survived by a son Constantine (Chuck) Hantzopoulos; daughters Paraskeve (Evie) Hantzopoulos and her husband David Motamed of New York City; Elaine Zolotas and her husband Michael Zolotas of Peabody; Antonia (Toni) Hantzopoulos and her husband Blake Rickerson of Peabody; Maria Hantzopoulos and her husband Johnny Farraj of New York City; grandchildren Casey Landry and her wife Stephanie Aresta-Da Silva; Stefanie Libby; Chrisoula, Artemis and Nepheli Motamed; and Dalia and Ziyad Farraj. She also leaves behind her sisters Maria Papachristou and Tasia Sfikas in Greece; sisters-in-law Barbara Stamos, Lana Voris, Despina Binios, Niki Nikolouzos, Sofia Stavropoulos, Irene Hantzopoulos and Maria Hantzopoulos; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased by her brothers Panayioti Sfikas and Nikos Sfikas, and sisters Katina Kringos, Aspasia Sfikas, and Sofia Mbouriti. For everyone’s safety, relatives and friends who are vaccinated and masked are invited to viewing hours on Friday, September 17 from 4 PM – 7 PM at Conway Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at 82 Lynn Street in Peabody. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 18 at 10:00 AM at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn, followed by a burial at Pine Grove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund https://curealz.org/ or the Peter K. Hantzopoulos Scholarship Fund, c/o 15 Hancock Street, Peabody, MA, 01960 which will be awarded to an immigrant or first-generation Peabody High School senior.