Obituary of Viola Ellenis

Viola Ellenis peacefully returned to her heavenly home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, March 19^th, 2019 at the age of 86 years. She was born to Costantinos and Marianthe Voziou in Salonika, Greece. She was the great-granddaughter of Duchess Fanga and Arch Duke Johann of Romania. She married Thomas Ellenis on October 4^th, 1959 in Washington Heights, NY and the two ultimately settled and lived the majority of their lives in Wayne, NJ. Viola, the matriarch of the family, loved her children and grandchildren dearly and was a devoted wife and partner to her beloved husband Tom. Viola enjoyed animals of all kinds. She was also very social, a wonderful cook, and loved hosting and entertaining friends. A talented artist and a writer, Viola had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and travel. With Tom at her side, the two enjoyed exciting adventures to places all over the globe. Viola also had a passion for helping those less fortunate; she volunteered countless hours serving the homeless and advising first time juvenile offenders. Viola is survived by her husband of 60 years, Thomas T. Ellenis, her son, Theodore T. Ellenis, his wife Tatyana and their daughter Katya Ellenis; her daughter, Dina Ellenis-Cooke, her husband Kenneth and their sons Christian and Liam Cooke. She was predeceased by her sisters Thalia Katsidras and Gloria Spirou. Family and friends are invited to attend a viewing at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, (vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff on Monday March 25^th 2019 from 6pm to 8pm, with the Trisaghion prayer service offered at 7 p.m. The funeral service will be held at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 467 Grandview Ave., Wyckoff, NJ on Tuesday March 26^th, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at the Cemetery of the First Reformed Church in Pompton Plains, NJ.  Contributions in Viola’s memory may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 900, Arlington, VA 22202.