Obituary for Katina Janavaras (Leckas)
Katina Janavaras (Leckas), a loving and caring wife and mother, left this world peacefully on the evening of November 23, 2020 at age 85 in Minneapolis, MN with her devoted husband of 57 years, Markos Janavaras, by her side.
She was born to Fotis and Vasiliki Leckas in Ancient Corinth, Greece on October 30, 1935 and was the eldest of eight children. From a young age, Katina was a second mother to her younger siblings (Irene, Georgia, Argy, Tassos, John, George, and Peter), caring for them and helping to raise them, particularly after losing her father when she was 17.
Katina had a passion and talent for sewing early in life and took professional sewing lessons in Greece for which she received a certificate.
In 1959, Katina immigrated to the United States along with her youngest sister, Argy. They resided with their uncle John Leckas in Wayzata, MN. Each day Katina commuted by train to Dayton’s in downtown Minneapolis where she worked as a professional seamstress. She excelled in the profession because of her meticulous attention to detail and fine eye for fashion. Katina also attended night school to learn English.
She and Markos met in 1962 in Minneapolis, MN and were married on December 1, 1963 at the St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minot, ND. They made their home in Drake, ND. After suffering two miscarriages, they welcomed their daughter Loukia into the world on August 10, 1969.
Together with Markos, Katina spent many long hours, co-managing their family-owned retail businesses serving the communities of Drake, Harvey, and Minot, ND. In 1997 the couple moved to Minneapolis and owned and operated a business in the heart of the city until 2016.
Katina’s kitchen was her kingdom, and she was known by all for her extraordinarily delicious cooking and baking. She took pride in her creations and kept her recipes top secret. She was hardworking and a homebody who loved to wear bright colors, sing, and dance; Katina added flair to everything she touched. She was honest, dedicated, and lived life with integrity: “that’s the real McCoy” as she used to say. Not shy to the microphone (or in general), she once unexpectedly went onstage during a performance and sang a song in Greek which she dedicated to Markos in front of a live audience. She had a powerful, beautiful singing voice and would often sing while cooking. She kept a bountiful garden of flowers, vegetables, and herbs at their home in Drake. Katina’s talent for sewing, knitting, and crocheting, enabled her to make many beautiful outfits for their daughter over the years.
A private person by nature, Katina was bright, funny, and patient. She dearly loved and was loved by her in-laws both in the US and in Greece and helped care for Markos’ great Uncle Gus (Constantine) Janavaras who lived with the family in their home until 1982, as well as her mother-in-law and father-in-law during their five-year stay in the US, and was like a second mom/older sister to her husband’s brother Basil Janavaras and Georgia (Janavaras) Sarroub while they were college students in ND. She loved reading bedtime stories to Loukia, taught her the Greek language, and helped her with homework as best as she could. Katina was a quick learner and had a thirst for knowledge. She continued to improve her English skills throughout her life through self-study from copying out of the dictionary to writing long letters in English to Loukia when she was in university.
Although her dementia worsened over the years, Katina always had a sparkle in her eyes which represented her love for others and incredible resilience against all odds. It was that sparkle that let everyone know she was still there. In their final four years together in assisted living, Katina was visited by Markos in her memory care unit several times per day where he spent many hours caring for her, feeding her, and playing music for her; Katina’s eyes would shine with delight at the sight of him.
In November of 2019, Katina was placed in hospice care while remaining in her memory care unit. Remarkably, she continued to recognize their daughter, even after four months of lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions. She seemed to come back around to her pre-hospice condition from time to time during the last year, a testament to both her zest for life and to the power of love.
Katina is preceded in death by her parents; six siblings; and son-in-law, Dimitris Mitropoulos. She is survived by her husband, Markos; daughter, Loukia Janavaras (Andrew Johnson); brother, John (Terri) Leckas and many beloved nieces, nephews, family, and friends.
She was born to Fotis and Vasiliki Leckas in Ancient Corinth, Greece on October 30, 1935 and was the eldest of eight children. From a young age, Katina was a second mother to her younger siblings (Irene, Georgia, Argy, Tassos, John, George, and Peter), caring for them and helping to raise them, particularly after losing her father when she was 17.
Katina had a passion and talent for sewing early in life and took professional sewing lessons in Greece for which she received a certificate.
In 1959, Katina immigrated to the United States along with her youngest sister, Argy. They resided with their uncle John Leckas in Wayzata, MN. Each day Katina commuted by train to Dayton’s in downtown Minneapolis where she worked as a professional seamstress. She excelled in the profession because of her meticulous attention to detail and fine eye for fashion. Katina also attended night school to learn English.
She and Markos met in 1962 in Minneapolis, MN and were married on December 1, 1963 at the St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minot, ND. They made their home in Drake, ND. After suffering two miscarriages, they welcomed their daughter Loukia into the world on August 10, 1969.
Together with Markos, Katina spent many long hours, co-managing their family-owned retail businesses serving the communities of Drake, Harvey, and Minot, ND. In 1997 the couple moved to Minneapolis and owned and operated a business in the heart of the city until 2016.
Katina’s kitchen was her kingdom, and she was known by all for her extraordinarily delicious cooking and baking. She took pride in her creations and kept her recipes top secret. She was hardworking and a homebody who loved to wear bright colors, sing, and dance; Katina added flair to everything she touched. She was honest, dedicated, and lived life with integrity: “that’s the real McCoy” as she used to say. Not shy to the microphone (or in general), she once unexpectedly went onstage during a performance and sang a song in Greek which she dedicated to Markos in front of a live audience. She had a powerful, beautiful singing voice and would often sing while cooking. She kept a bountiful garden of flowers, vegetables, and herbs at their home in Drake. Katina’s talent for sewing, knitting, and crocheting, enabled her to make many beautiful outfits for their daughter over the years.
A private person by nature, Katina was bright, funny, and patient. She dearly loved and was loved by her in-laws both in the US and in Greece and helped care for Markos’ great Uncle Gus (Constantine) Janavaras who lived with the family in their home until 1982, as well as her mother-in-law and father-in-law during their five-year stay in the US, and was like a second mom/older sister to her husband’s brother Basil Janavaras and Georgia (Janavaras) Sarroub while they were college students in ND. She loved reading bedtime stories to Loukia, taught her the Greek language, and helped her with homework as best as she could. Katina was a quick learner and had a thirst for knowledge. She continued to improve her English skills throughout her life through self-study from copying out of the dictionary to writing long letters in English to Loukia when she was in university.
Although her dementia worsened over the years, Katina always had a sparkle in her eyes which represented her love for others and incredible resilience against all odds. It was that sparkle that let everyone know she was still there. In their final four years together in assisted living, Katina was visited by Markos in her memory care unit several times per day where he spent many hours caring for her, feeding her, and playing music for her; Katina’s eyes would shine with delight at the sight of him.
In November of 2019, Katina was placed in hospice care while remaining in her memory care unit. Remarkably, she continued to recognize their daughter, even after four months of lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions. She seemed to come back around to her pre-hospice condition from time to time during the last year, a testament to both her zest for life and to the power of love.
Katina is preceded in death by her parents; six siblings; and son-in-law, Dimitris Mitropoulos. She is survived by her husband, Markos; daughter, Loukia Janavaras (Andrew Johnson); brother, John (Terri) Leckas and many beloved nieces, nephews, family, and friends.