Obituary of Alexandra N. Handrinos

Alexandra N. Handrinos, age 74, beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend to so many, passed away at home surrounded by her loving family on October 27, 2020. She is survived by her devoted husband of 53 years, Nikitas; her son Panagiotis and his wife Maria; her son Nikolaos and his wife Joann; her grandchildren Alexandra, Nikitas, Alexandra, Katina and Nikitas; her brother John and his wife Vasiliki; her brother James and his wife Effie; as well as her many nieces and nephews that provided her comfort, love, and support during her suffering. A devout Orthodox Christian, Alexandra loved her faith and her church and was an active member of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Norwalk, CT, including the Ladies Philoptochos Society where she provided care and comfort to the sick and those in need. We will miss Alexandra’s welcoming smile, her incredible Greek cooking, and her insanely bountiful and delicious garden vegetables. She grew up in Lada, a mountainside village outside of the city of Kalamata in the Southern Peloponnese region of Greece. After coming to America in 1968, she worked alongside her husband to open East Avenue Pizza in Norwalk, CT. She put her love, care and integrity into every recipe and order she made for her loyal customers. Alexandra believed in the value of a strong family, the love of a warm home, and the time-tested values of education, hard work, and delayed gratification. She is predeceased by her parents and will rest in peace in the company of her loving grandmother in Heaven. Alexandra fought valiantly and courageously for almost five years against an aggressive form of cancer. Her family is eternally grateful to all relatives, friends and all who cared for her at Yale New-Haven Hospital (Dr. Alessandro Santin, Dr. Kevin Kim), Greenwich Hospital (Dr. Merlin Sung Lee, Dr. Chris Edelmann), Dr. Arthur Heliotis, and her exceptionally caring nurses and aides, including Fabiana Farenga and Meredith Schoff, RN. You all provided incredible comfort to Alexandra in her darkest and toughest days of suffering. May Alexandra Rest In Peace and may her Memory Be Eternal. Due to the current covid-19 health crisis, and the love and care for family and friends, the funeral service will be private. If you do care to join the family and are comfortable joining groups of people outdoors, Alexandra’s burial service (with appropriate social distancing and care) will take place at approximately noon on Friday, October 30, 2020 at Riverside Cemetery, 81 Riverside Avenue, Norwalk, CT. At a future date and when safe to do so, we will honor and celebrate Alexandra’s life together with family and friends. Alexandra loved her church and was grateful to her doctors, so in lieu of flowers or any other kind gesture, the family wishes your thoughtful consideration be directed in her memory to either of her church, Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, 238 West Rocks Road, Norwalk, CT 06851 or to support Endometrial Cancer Research c/o Yale School of Medicine, PO Box 7611, New Haven, CT 06519-0611. For donations please put “ Dr. Alessandro Santin Research at Yale” in the memo line. Dr. Santin and his care team made several additional years of life possible for Alexandra. For online giving to Dr. Santin’s research, please go here: https://bit.ly/3kIX5tW