Individual Details

Areti G. Kostakos

(10 Mar 1908 - 7 Mar 2008)

Birth year from Georgios Kostakos (Ref. Kostakos-1).
Is a widow living in Brooklyn (as of January 1995).
Is 10 years younger than husband, John.
Was the last one from her family to come to the U.S.


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On August 2, 2003, Carol Petranek, Catherine Kostakos (mother) and Georgios Kostakos (cousin) visited Areti at her home in Brooklyn, New York. At the time of this visit, Areti was about 95-96 years old. She was living in her own home at 1462 E. 17th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11230, where she said she has lived for the past 55 years. She has a live-in housekeeper to assist her. She is clever and very bright, sprightly, most alert, and has a strong personality with very defined opinions, and a wry sense of humor often making jokes about herself or others ("I not a spring chicken") She can walk on her own without a walker or any other assistance. She is short, about 5 feet, and thin. She has a lovely face that is remarkably unlined. At first, she didn't understand who we were, but after Georgios explained the family connection she expressed great joy at seeing us. We sat at her dining room table and she had her housekeeper bring out cakes and juice.

Areti told us that her name came from her mother's side of the family.

As an aside, Georgios met us at Areti's house at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon. He had talked with his mother about this meeting, and they decided it was best not to tell Areti that I was coming because she might make excuses as to why she couldn't have guests. When Georgios arrived, he explained then that she would have visitors and she changed clothes and was ready to greet us. I explained that I would like to talk with her about her family, and her perception was "why do you want to do this? No one cares. My own grandchildren don't want anything Greek." I reassured her several times that people do care, and that what she had to say was very important to us. She was happy to talk with me and spoke openly about whatever questions we asked. She was able to remember people very well, but not dates. Georgios was a tremendous help in explaining questions that she wasn't sure of, and in reassuring her that it was okay to talk with us.

Areti said that as a child in St. Johns, she wanted to be a teacher but her mother did not want her to go out of the home. She received schooling in St. Johns, about the equivalent of a high school education, which was unusual for a girl in her day. She learned a little about dressmaking, but after a while her mother said, "you've learned enough, now you stay home." Areti said, "I live to learn." It was obvious from her tone of voice that she was disappointed that she was not able to progress further in education. However, she said that "my mother taught me to be independent." She mentioned several times that she is an independent woman and she lives on her own because she doesn't want her son or his family to take care of her: she said in a fiercely independent tone of voice, "No one takes care of me."

Areti explained that daily life in Greece was very hard and people had no conveniences. It took all the energy and time of a family just to take care of everyday needs and to scrape by. However, it was a good, clean life centered around family. No older people ever talked about their families or their ancestors or their lives because their daily existence kept them consumed. One can tell from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice that Areti loves her family. She said with a softness in her voice, "the family goes on forever" as children are born.

Areti shocked us by telling us that her father, Grigorios, did NOT come from Mani or Anavrete, but from Pyrgos. Pyrgos was an area that was very difficult to get to because it was over the western mountains in the Peloponnese. The mountains are very rocky and it is hard terrain, but Pyrgos is in a fertile plain. Grigorios was born in Pyrgos, and his father, Andrew, was also from Pyrgos. Grigorios came by himself to St. John's looking for work. He found work with her mother's brother, Panagiotis (Peter). They got to know each other, and after a while, Panagiotis told Grigorios that he liked him and gave his sister, Maria, to marry him. They married in St. John's and remained there in an area known as "Kozi". Areti never saw any of Grigorios' family because it was hard for them to travel from the mountains. She doesn't remember ever meeting her grandfather Kostakos.

Areti said that she married her husband, John, in Greece. She said she was 20 when she married. [Georgios Kostakos had put her birth year at 1906 (Kostakos Ref-1.]) Her husband had been a widower for several years, and had one child by his first marriage. They had one child together (George).

Areti told us that she has dreams or visions almost every night. She sees her husband, John, who keeps coming to her and saying "when are you coming to be with me?"

Areti said her brothers were "perfect" Kostakos'. She also said that Georgios (or Gregorios') grandmother died 6 months before he was born. I didn't write down who this was.

Info from Areti Kostakos Lambrinos, Aug. 2, 2003 meeting with Carol Kostakos Petranek.

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DEATH:
March 8, 2008 - email from Georgios Kostakos re Areti's death on March 7:
"Areti Lambrinos passed away yesterday, Friday, 7 March. She was taken to the hospital the previous evening because she could not breathe and was vomiting all night, but there was nothing they could do. She had been bedridden for several months now. The last time I saw her, a month or so ago, she would not turn her head to see me and would not talk. In fact, she had given up completely over the last couple of months, and before, she was saying that she was tired of living. May God rest her soul. The wake will be at Valley Stream on Sunday (2-4 pm and 7-9 pm), funeral home tel. 516-825-2900, and the funeral at Hempstead, Long Island on Monday [March 10], at St. Paul's Church, at 12 noon. I'll try to go to the funeral and I can light a candle on your behalf if you want. Her son's telephone number if you would like to call him (George) or his wife (Helen) is: 516-826-6027. Love, Georgios"

March 10, 2008 - I called the funeral home and asked about an obituary, and I was told that there was not an obituary published. The director said that today was her 100th birthday, and that she was buried in Cyprus Hills on Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn.

March 11, 2008 - I sent an email to Georgios regarding her 100th birthday, and he replied: "I heard about Areti's birthday from the priest in his eulogy--amazing coincidence indeed. I asked George, her son, who did not pay so much attention to it, as we know that even Areti/Rita herself was not sure about the accuracy of her documents, her exact date of birth, etc. In any case, she left full of years and with all our good thoughts and thanks for her life."

Events

Alternate Birth1902Agios Ioannis, Sparta, Lakonia, Greece
Birth10 Mar 1908Agios Ioannis, Sparta, Lakonia, Greece
Alternate Birth1910Alaimbey, Agios Ioannis, Sparta, Lakonia, Greece
Marriage13 Jan 1929Agios Dimitrios Church, Tseramio, Sparta, Lakonia, Greece - John Nicholas Lambrinos
Immigration25 Jun 1929S.S. Edison, New York City, New York, United States
Residence1933Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Residence1940Assembly District 11, Brooklyn, New York City, Kings, New York, United States
Census1940Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Town Register1955Agios Ioannis, Sparta, Lakonia, Greece
Death7 Mar 2008Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Burial10 Mar 2008Cyprus Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Alt nameRita
FamilySearch IDM4MD-6YZ

Families

SpouseJohn Nicholas Lambrinos (1892 - 1979)
ChildLiving
FatherGrigorios Andreas Kostakos (1854 - 1935)
MotherMaria G. Theodoropoulos (1862 - 1958)
SiblingAnastasia G. Kostakos (1891 - 1974)
SiblingAndreas Grigorios Kostakos (1892 - 1981)
SiblingKonstantinos Grigorios Kostakos (1894 - 1965)
SiblingGeorgios Grigorios Kostakos (1898 - 1993)
SiblingKalliopi G. Kostakos (1903 - 1999)
SiblingStavroula or Stella G. Kostakos (1902 - 1988)
SiblingPanagiotis Grigorios Kostakos (1913 - 1944)

Notes

Endnotes