Athanassia Vlahos

Athanassia Vlahos, 88, of Palos Hills, Illinois, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Born in Kandyla, Greece, Athanassia (née Deligiannis) journeyed first to Halifax, Canada, before joining her brothers in Chicago, where she became an American citizen. She lived for a time in Toronto working as an au pair, then built a career as a seamstress and certified keypunch specialist in the Chicagoland area. In 1964, only weeks after meeting him, she married Spyros Vlahos. For the next 62 years she remained a devoted wife, sharing a lifetime of love, memories, and unwavering dedication to her family.

Athanassia was the cherished mother of George (Beth) Vlahos and Koula (Brian) Berlin, and she found her greatest joy as a loving grandmother to Elizabeth Berlin, Bennett Berlin, Sophia Vlahos, Spiros Vlahos, and Patrick Vlahos. She was the dear sister of Vasiliki (John) Kollaros. A committed mother, she instilled in her children a love of music, sports, Greek language, culture, and spiritual life at St. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church. In her later years she delighted in caring for her grandchildren, cooking for them, and watching them grow. Yiayia was widely known for her exceptional Greek cooking, especially her beloved galaktoboureko.

She was preceded in death by four siblings: Peter (Amelia) Deligiannis, Gus (Georgia) Deligiannis, Christos (Sophia) Deligiannis, and Eleni Deligiannis. Athanassia’s legacy of kindness and deep devotion to her family will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved her. May her memory be eternal.