Krystalia Kokolaki Fadel

Kristi Fadel passed away in Falls Church, Virginia on March 18, 2025. She was born on June 12, 1936, in Patras, Greece. Kristi was the only child of Lt. Col. Demetrios Ioannis from Agios Nikolaos, Crete, and Ourannia (Spiliotopoulou) Kokolaki from Patras. She graduated from the Harokopios Higher School of Home Economics (now Harokopio University), where she earned an associate’s degree in Home Economics. She was subsequently admitted to Michigan State University with a Pan-Hellenic Scholarship and completed her bachelor’s degree.  There, she met her husband, the Reverend Deacon Robert Michael Elias Fadel. They married on November 12, 1961 at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Niagara Falls, New York. 

Moving to the USA as a student was one of many relocations in Kristi’s life. The first 13 years of her upbringing in Greece were marked by dictatorship, the Nazi occupation of Greece, and the Greek Civil War. In her personal memoirs, she documents experiences of displacement, hiding, and being on the run that she shared with many Greeks of her generation. The remaining years of her life were infinitely happier and calmer as she created warm and inviting homes in Lansing, MI; Niagara Falls, NY; Charlotte, NC; Athens, Greece; Peabody, MA; Lynnfield, MA; and Arlington, VA. Kristi was an English as a second language and a Home Economics teacher for most of her professional life. She retired from Athens College in 1997. 

Kristi will be remembered as a generous and welcoming “νοικοκυρά” (the literal English translation ‘householder’ or ‘head of the household’ falls short). Friends and family will recall that she truly embodied the Greek tradition of philoxenia— for her, hospitality and generosity were a way of life. Kristi was an adventurous home chef. She produced delicious meals from her home country, including many Lebanese dishes to honor her husband’s background. She also introduced many Greeks to traditional Thanksgiving Dinners. She was a partner in her husband’s service in the Orthodox Church throughout her life, and they were active in all the churches they joined. In Greece, the Monastery of Daou Penteli had a special place in their hearts and prayers.  They established the St. Stephen Ministry, which facilitated clerical visits to those who could not attend church. Kristi also founded the Myrroferes girls’ acolyte program at St Vasilios Church, Peabody, MA. 

Kristi is predeceased by her adoring husband, Robert. She is survived by their children Eva (Jeff Beranek) Fadel and Demetri (Julie) Fadel. Kristi was a loving and delighted Giagia to Alexander Beranek, Gabriel Fadel, Natalya Beranek, and Sebastian Fadel. Kristi will be missed by her loving cousins, Ersi Samara, Yannis Kokolaki, and Dimos, Haritini and Antonis Spilitopoulos, and countless nieces and nephews.  She is survived by Robert’s nephew Michael (Arlie) Skory, and nieces Renee (Robert) Zaleski and Athena Rowell. An only child, Kristi had a sisterly bond with her mother’s youngest sister, Dr. Margiora Spiliotopoulou Michopoulou, who predeceased her. 

The family will receive visitors from 1:30 -2:00 pm on March 23rd at St. Mary's Orthodox Church at 7223 Roosevelt Ave, Falls Church, VA. The Funeral Liturgy will be held at 2:00 pm. Internment will immediately follow at Columbia Gardens, 3411 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, a gift in her memory may be made to St. Mary's Orthodox Church (www.stmaryorthodox.org) or Karam Foundation (www.karamfoundation.org).