Stratia Gerontides

Stratia Gerontides

July 25, 1946 – December 19, 2023

Stratia, or “Stratigoula” as she was known to her family and friends, was born in northern Greece in the small Macedonian village of Aravisos to Ioannis and Elisavet Monastirides. She had a happy childhood with loving parents and a doting older brother Vasili and sister-in-law, Alexandra. As a young woman, she met Geroge (Yura) Gerontides and on November 9, 1967, they were married. In 1968 they celebrated the birth of their first child, a son named Chrysostomos (Chris). Hoping for a better life for their son and more opportunity, they made the courageous decision to move to the United States in 1969. They settled in Oakland, California. In 1971 they were blessed with the birth of their second son, Yiannis (John). Stratigoula and Yura worked hard and thrived in their newly adopted country. She worked as a seamstress in several major men’s clothing stores and spent the last twenty years of her career at Nordstrom in Walnut Creek. She proudly became an American citizen but continued to nurture her love for her Greek heritage by being an active member of the Greek-American community. She was a devout Greek Orthodox Christian and a long-standing member of the Ascension Cathedral in Oakland. She was also a proud member of the Pan-Macedonian Association.

She celebrated the marriages of her two sons, John to Angelike and Chris to Vasiliki, and was blessed with five grandchildren: George, Stratia (Rhea), Stratia, Nickie, and Efthymia.

She and George were happily married for 45 years and cruised the Mexican Riviera, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Alaska. They traveled frequently to Greece and visited Paris, Venice, and Istanbul. She loved spending time with her family and her family was devoted to her.

She left peacefully, after a long and difficult struggle with dementia. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and sister-in-law, and her devoted husband. Her friendly and gentle spirit will forever be in our hearts and she will be greatly missed. We pray she has found peace and comfort with Our Lord in heaven. May her memory be eternal.

Trisagion Service Tuesday December 26, 2023 6:00pm Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. Funeral Service Wednesday December 27, 2023 10:00am Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Interment Mt. View Cemetery, Oakland, CA