Evangelia G (Georgiadis) Kastrinakis

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Evangelia Kastrinakis, 1925-2022

They say that the saddest moment is when the person who gave you the best memories, becomes a memory.  Our dearest Mom, Eva Kastrinakis, became a sweet remembrance on Sunday, December 18th, 2022, when her heart stopped during her restful sleep.

Eva was born Evangelia Georgiadis in Heraklion, Crete on July 24th, 1925 to Anna and Vasilios Georgiadis.  She attended the Ecole Française des Religieuses in Heraklion until the horrors of World War II forced all schools to close.  Normal life in Heraklion eventually became unendurable, as Axis forces invaded the island. Eva’s family fled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Eva began working at the Greek Embassy.  There, she met a handsome young envoy, John Kastrinakis, who also hailed from her native Crete.  Drawn by their common roots and interests, the young colleagues grew close and eventually married in 1952, forming an enduring loving unit.

Eva gave birth to the couple’s first daughter Mariana, and four years later to a second bundle of joy, Irene.  Eva raised the girls and cared for the home while pursuing her hobby of gardening with her friends and neighbors. An extended vacation to Europe and the US ultimately attracted John and Eva to move with their daughters to the Boston area, where John’s extended family had settled, thus avoiding the growing socio-political strife in Argentina in the early 1970’s.

The family settled in Lynn, where Eva worked side by side with her beloved John in his business enterprises.  The couple’s hearts were filled with pride when their daughters were accepted to prestigious colleges and pursued advanced degrees, a dream that John and Eva could not realize for themselves during the years of World War II. After John’s passing in 1999, Eva kept the homestead and continued gardening and keeping John’s memory alive through her love of home, cooking, and doting over her four grandchildren.  She loved calling on friends and relatives as well as visiting—with her beloved sister Rosita—any garden center whose doors were open. She was spunky, chic, and obsessed with cleanliness. Late in life, her vision was failing but she could spot a crumb on the rug from miles away. There was not a day that her earrings did not coordinate with her necklace or dress ensemble and oh, how she loved elegant shoes!   Eva sang like the angels, and could maintain harmony no matter what melody notes anyone carried.

As age caught up with her body, Eva moved to a senior living facility, Colonial Gardens in Beverly, MA where she lived for nine full and energetic years.  After an acute recurrence of a chronic condition, her health care team ordered round the clock medical attention.  Independent and unshakable, Eva refused to move in with either of her daughters and chose to reside in a private room at the Jeffrey & Susan Brudnick Center for Living in Peabody in August of 2020.

Given the restrictions imposed by Covid, Eva nevertheless flourished communicating through her iPad, which she called “her window to the world”.  She connected with her daughters multiple times a week via their “Las Chicas” group chat; read Spanish and Greek newspapers online; looked forward to the arrival of her New Yorker, Economist, and Time magazine subscriptions; watched Pink Martini music videos; caught up with family adventures via their social media posts; and monitored the progress of her beloved Argentinean (and a few other) soccer teams.  The year 2022 offered her several highlights as the world opened up a little early post-pandemic.  Eva was able to visit some of her favorite nieces, she attended her granddaughter’s wedding and, just recently, celebrated Thanksgiving at the newlyweds’ home.  Excited by the 2022 World Cup, she tuned into every game.

On December 18th, 2022, Eva watched the final soccer game of the World Cup with her daughter Irene. Her beloved Argentina won the Cup Title and Eva’s heart was full.  It is rumored that she wanted to report the results to her cherished John, because she closed her eyes and went to sleep, never to wake up again, leaving us all behind.

Eva is survived by her first born, Dr. Mariana Kastrinakis and her husband Peter Merrill, PhD, of Bethesda, MD; her daughter Irene Kastrinakis and her husband Kosta Prentakis, JD, of Middleton, MA; her grandchildren David and John Merrill, of Bethesda, MD; Alexi Prentakis of Beverly, MA; Melina Prentakis and her husband Aaron Turner, of Andover, MA.  She is also survived by her sister, Rosita Georgiades, of Beverly, MA and many beloved nieces and nephews. 

If grief is love with no place to go, then our love is truly adrift.  Eva is no longer among us, and we are a bit lost and in disbelief.  Her 97 and a half years on earth were an immense gift to all who knew and loved her.  Eva has become a memory, but her memory will be a blessing.

Services will be private and will not include flowers. If anyone wishes to honor Eva’s memory through a donation, the following two charitable organizations were a source of love and comfort to her and she would have endorsed any patronage to them:  St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, 5 Paleologos Street, Peabody, MA 01960 (https://stvasilios.mypaysimple.com/s/donate), or the Jeffery and Susan Brudnick Center for Living, 240 Lynnfield St. Peabody, MA 01960, www.chelseajewish.org. 

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