Eleni Xinakis Holevas

March 18, 2017

Eleni Iraklis Holevas, 95, died at her residence on Saturday, March 18, 2017. She was born in Mouvilo, Evrytania, Greece. March 15, 1922, daughter of the late Iraklis and Maria Xinakis.

May Υiayia wakes up at dawn. She feeds and milks the animals and collects the eggs from the chickens. She takes the hoe and sculpts the ground. She puts in her apron corpus of the earth, raising her eyes saying “thank God” and sends a hello to Greece.                                                                                                          

Τhe 95 years old Eleni Holevas from Mouzilo of Evrytania, is perhaps the oldest female Greek woman who left her place and immigrated to North Carolina, USA.                                                                          

Years ago her children Kostas, Yiannis and Katerina left for a better life in America, she stayed behind with pappou. She always said, “I want to go too” and he would reply, “you are out of your mind, stay here”. Repeatedly she was saying “I will visit one of my children for a week, then the other one for a week and then the other one for a week” and again pappou would say, “You must be out of your mind”. Eventually pappou passed away and the children took her with them. Yiayia who was working all her life said “in Karpenisi I don’t have anybody, everyone is going”.                                                                                            

As a child she was loading the goat milk containers on the mules and selling it to the tourists in the village. It was impossible for Yiayia to live alone. Her son, Kostas Holevas, decided to bring her over and reside with his family in a farm named “Mouzilo Farm” which he bought on purpose trying to create a similar environment like she had back home, raising live animals, gardening etc.                            

Υiayia felt like she was reborn in her new home in North Carolina. She loved the area and the people even if she did not speak the language. She was continuously working on the farm and enjoying every minute of it.                          

As the years went by, her son, Kostas, asked her if she would like to go back and she replied, “No I am fine here, I have everything, I am staying here, everybody helps me, everybody loves me”. Her granddaughter Eleni Holevas, who she was named after her, always loved to work on the farm. She enjoyed being in North Carolina and continued her farming as along as she was able. Surviving are her three children: John Holevas and wife, Sofia, Ekaterini Tsiaras and husband, Spiros, Kostas Holevas and wife, Cindy; twelve grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Funeral service for Mrs. Holevas will be held at Twelve Noon, Monday, March 20, 2017, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. May her memory be eternal.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth Poe Funeral & Cremation Services, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204. Online condolences at www.kennethpoeservices.com. Phone: 704- 641-7606.

 

 

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