May Grammatikos

May Grammatikos, 81, passed away peacefully at her house in Mahwah, New Jersey on September 30, 2022 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.  May was born in New York on April 13, 1941 and had been a resident of Mahwah for over thirty years.  She's predeceased by her father Steve Epsilantis, mother Dorothy Kambouris and her brother John Epsilantis.  She is survived by her loving husband Dimitrios Grammatikos; sons John-Steven Grammatikos and Jayme (Penny) Grammatikos; five beloved grandchildren Kristie (Dan), Andrew (Kelly), James, Katerina and Demetri; and six cherished great grandchildren, Carolina, Thalia, Keira, Ariana, Miles and Nolan.  May was a loving wife, a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She had many friends and was an esteemed member of the Saint Nicholas Church in Wyckoff.

May graduated from Fort Lee High School and attended secretarial school thereafter. On January 17, 1960, she married Dimitrios (whom she loved at first sight) and started her married life in Fort Lee, NJ. On December 28, 1960 and November 28, 1967, she welcomed her two sons which she loved deeply. She worked for over 20 years at DSM Pharmaceuticals in Saddle Brook, NJ as an office manager and executive assistant.  She gained the admiration and respect of her coworkers and supervisors with her amazing work ethic, outgoing personality, cheerful disposition...and her birthday cakes!

A truly altruistic person at her core and a woman of deep Christian faith, May always volunteered her services to the church (working in the front office, volunteering at church festivals and partaking in religious excursions to Israel and Turkey). She visited a Christian orphanage in Guatemala providing what comfort and care she could to the children while she was there. Her acts of kindness translated to her donating to numerous charities over the years and the sponsorship of orphaned children.  It was with great pride and personal joy when she was recognized earlier this year by the church and presented with a plaque from the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey which states; “Your altruistic acts of charity and compassion to the least among us are truly a vivid and concrete expression of your genuine faith and love for our Lord Jesus Christ and should be emulated by all.”

May was deeply proud of her Greek ethnicity, her Greek Orthodox religion and the role Greece played in human history. If you're a non-Greek and happened to find yourself within the beautiful halls of St. Nicholas Church, you may have received an impromptu “history” lesson from May on various topics (such as the origins of the Greek Orthodox Church, why as Greeks we do the cross differently, the meaning of the icons or why we fake-spit on the floor during baptisms). Not only would you have learned an interesting fact, you would have witnessed someone who takes enormous pride in their heritage and Christian beliefs.

May lived for her family but especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was extremely thankful for the opportunity to witness her five grandchildren grow up and prosper; and then years later, witness in a new generation with the birth of six great grandchildren whom she adored beyond measure.  She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and all who knew her.

The wake will be held on Tuesday, October 4th (4:00-8:00 pm) at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ.  A funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday October 5th (10:15 am) at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 467 Grandview Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ.  Burial will follow at George Washington Memorial Park, 234 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, we invite you to make a donation to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Wyckoff, NJ in May’s honor.

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