Helen "Nitsa" Thomas

Helen “Nitsa” Thomas, residing in Glenmont, NY, passed peacefully on September 20, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.

Helen was born on December 9, 1929, in Volos, Greece, to Andreas and Athena Foroulis. The youngest of four and only girl she was doted on by her three older brothers. She grew up in Volos surviving the premature death of her mother and the German occupation. Never deterred by the hardships she faced of losing a mother and living through a war, she was blessed to meet the late James “Taki” Thomas and accepted his marriage proposal. Leaving all she knew behind, Helen and James started a new life in the United States. After a honeymoon in Paris, they moved to the US in 1951, originally settling in Concord, NH. There, they started their family and had two children, Sammy and Athena. The family later moved to Albany, NY, where Nitsa became an active and vibrant member of the Greek American community and the St. Sophia Church. She participated in several civic organizations and served as the NY District Governor of the Daughters of Penelope, and international women’s advocacy organization. Nitsa was an excellent cook and seamstress, her spanakopita a crowd favorite. Her family and children always came first, being a mother at home until they were old enough for Helen to begin a career. She started working at Key Bank, serving various roles in the international trade group. She enjoyed traveling to new places, spending time with her family, teaching her daughter to sew, and had a hunger for knowledge. She always looked for opportunities to learn, whether it was a class at the YMCA or a cultural trip with the local seniors. She was undaunted by challenges and resilient in all the ups and downs life presented her. 

Helen was a devoted wife to her late husband, Taki and a loving mother to her children, Sammy (Demi) and Athena (Randy), to her grandchildren, Eleni (Demetrios) and Sophia (Michael), and to her great grandchildren, Penelope and Violet. 

Services and visitation will be on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 444 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY. 10:00am visitation, 10:30am Trisagion Service, followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00am. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Sophia Benevolent fund.

Interment will be in Bethlehem Cemetery, Delmar.