NEW YORK. – John Garbidakis breathed his last on November 4 at his home in Whitehall, PA in the presence of his wife Olga, and their children and grandchildren. He was 81 years old.
The viewing will be on Friday, November 6 from 7-9 PM at the Nicos C. Elias Funeral Home, at 1227 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, which can be contacted at 610-433-2200.
There will also be a viewing from 11 AM until noon at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, 1607 W Union Blvd., Bethlehem, PA. where the funeral will follow immediately.
He was born in Kambi Kydonias, Chania, Crete, the son of the late Emmanuel and Keriakoula (Fanourgiakis) Garbidakis.
He is survived by his wife Olga (Ginis) Garbidakis, his son Emmanuel and his wife Rachele of Kunkletown, his son Vasilios and his wife Maria of Lehighton, his daughter Keriakoula and her husband George Stergianopoulos of Whitehall, sisters Cleo, Emilia, Despina and Aphrodite, his brother Nicholaos, four grandchildren and one great grandchild. Garbidakis was predeceased by a sister Ioanna.
His parents had seven children namely, the late Joanna, Cleo, the late John, Emilia, Despina, Nicholas, and Aphrodite
Like all Cretans, John’s parents did everything in their power to endow Garbidakis and his brothers to with the best qualities of the Hellenic nation, to instill pride in their Greek origin, and to teach them to love Crete and Greece.
Garbidakis grew up in Crete and in 1959 married the love of his life. In 1966 he accepted the invitation of his sister Despina and came to America with his wife and two sons, Manolis and Vassilis, aged 6 and 4 years-old respectively.
They settled in Brooklyn and became members of Kimisis Church, as well as of the Cretan Association “Omonoia” because they wanted both they wanted, for themselves and their children, to live in a Greek Orthodox environment, and most importantly among the members of the historic Omonoia society. That is how the children learned the dances and traditions of their island.
Olga managed the upbringing of their children and John was head of an import company. When the children grew up they established a shop where they both worked hard and managed to educate their children. John and Vassilis studied engineering and Keriakoula is an accountant.
Although they spent the greater part of their lives lived in Brooklyn, they recently followed their children and grandchildren to Pennsylvania, but their minds and the hearts were often filled with memories of Brooklyn and Cretan House in Astoria.
Garbidakis was distinguished for his rare, character, for his hard work and or his love for the community and the homeland. He was man of means, and was very generous. Rather than send flowers, his family and friends invited people to make donations in his memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 14 Penn Plaza, suite 1615, New York, NY 10122.
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