Woodstock
Several people this week said the kindness shown throughout the years by Woodstock Pizza Chef owners Alex and Athina Tsouknakis inspired them to help the family in a time of need.
“They have been incredibly generous to the community over the years,” said David Brown, president and CEO of Woodstock’s Manufacturing Information Systems Inc. “Every time you turn around, Alex has given something away. They are just wonderful people.”
Athina Tsouknakis, who also went by Anthe’, died at the couple’s South Pomfret home on Sunday following a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 43.
In the three days since it was launched on Tuesday, Woodstock-area residents have pledged more than $40,000 to the family through a GoFundMe page. Others said they have showed their support separately from that website.
“They have been amazing people in this community,” said Sari White, the parish administrator at Woodstock’s St. James Episcopal Church.
White, who also works for Woodstock Ambulance, said there have been times when her crew arrived back from a call around the pizza shop’s closing time and the Tsouknakises never hesitated to fill their order, sometimes throwing in extra items on the house.
That generosity was extended to more than just the ambulance service.
It’s common to see a member of the Tsouknakis family carrying a few extra pizza boxes to a Rotary Club event, charity occasion or school sports fundraiser, or to donate a stack to a good cause.
“They are very kind, and a very important part of the community,” said Beth Finlayson, the executive director of the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. “I think everyone wants to give back because we have all gotten so much from him.”
According to a summary on the GoFundMe page, “Athina was a beautiful person inside and out. Her smile lit up every room she entered and her humor kept her friends laughing. Her family was always her first priority and she was incredibly proud of her children.”
Years of medical treatment proved expensive, the page states.
“This is an opportunity to give back to this amazing family,” the GoFundMe page states.
A message left for the author of the page, Marsha Aiken, wasn’t returned.
At the pizza shop in Woodstock on Friday, several customers spoke to the Tsouknakises’ generosity, including Marc Weinstein, who dines at the restaurant three or four times a week.
Weinstein, a longtime youth soccer coach at the Woodstock Recreation Center, said about a decade ago, his team played a Pomfret team that the Tsouknakises’ daughter was on.
After the game, Alex Tsouknakis brought out pizzas for his daughter and her teammates. At least, that’s how it first appeared.
“He then invited my team over,” Weinstein said. “He didn’t have to do that.”
“I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been touched by this family,” said Woodstock Assistant Clerk Mary Riley. “He needs to know we are here.”
Athina Tsouknakis is survived by her husband of 20 years, her sons Eleas and Iosif, her daughter Alexandra and several other relatives. The family declined to comment for this story. Athina Tsouknakis’ brother-in-law, Nick, also owns a pizza shop, located on Route 4 near the Quechee Gorge.
Services will be held today at the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Haverhill, Mass.
Anyone wishing to donate, can do so directly at https://www.gofundme.com/athina-alexandros-tsouknakis-family, or make a donation in Athina’s name to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf, P.O. Box 570, Woodstock, Vt. 05091, per her obituary.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.