Kyriaki Koula Mihalakis' Obituary
Kyriaki Koula Mihalakis, 89, passed away on February 14th, 2025 in Florida. Koula was born on January 29th, 1936, in Gavalohori, Chania, Crete, Greece, the first of three children of the late Elias Apostolakis and Anna Nikakis Apostolaki. She attended high school in Vamos, also in Chania on the island of Crete in Greece. Following high school, Koula attended the College of Athens, where she attained a degree in accounting.
Koula met the love of her life, Emmanuel (Manos) Mihalakis, in Crete, and the two were married on September 17th, 1954, at Panagia Mirtidiotissa, in Mikrolimano, Piraeus, Greece.
She began a career as an accountant for Ion in the bustling city of Piraeus, in Athens, Greece. In 1963, Koula and Manos had their first child, Iliana in Piraeus and shortly thereafter, moved to Cyprus for two years. They toured Africa and the Middle East and in 1966, had their second child, Despina, in Benghazi, Libya. They then moved back to Piraeus. In 1968, Koula and Manos would make the move to the United States, settling in Brooklyn, New York where she would work as a Greek School Teacher. In 1986, they finally made the move to Clearwater Beach, Florida, where they would spend the rest of their days. There, they joined Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
Koula will always be remembered as an extremely dedicated and outstanding wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a great friend to all, always going the extra mile to help everyone. She was an astoundingly beautiful soul loved by all who will be sorrowfully missed by those around her.
Koula is preceded in death by her husband, Manos Mihalakis, her brother, Manoli Apostolakis, and her parents, Elias Apostolakis and Anna Nikakis Apostolaki. She is survived by her sister, Irene Lekakis; daughters Iliana (Dr. Michael) Markou and Despina (Joseph) Otranto; granddaughters Kyriaki (Jesus Chavira) Kipriadis, Fransia (Kristo) Becka, Dominique Markou, and Maria Josefina Otranto; grandsons Peter (Ashley) Kipriadis and John-Paul Markou; great-granddaughters Natalia and Giovanna Kipriadis, Zoi Chavira-Kipriadis; and great-grandson Lukas Andreas Becka.
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