Holy Trinity Orthodox Church

Effie Zuck, a beloved member of our parish for more than a decade, fell asleep in the Lord yesterday morning (December 5, 2011) from cardiac arrest while visiting her family and friends in Maryland.

Friends will be received on Friday, December 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. at Koch’s Funeral Home. A Trisagion will take place at the funeral home that evening at 8 p.m., immediately after visitation. Funeral services will be held at Holy Trinity on Saturday, December 10 at 11 a.m. Interment with follow at the Lutheran cemetery in Boalsburg.

In lieu of a mercy meal, Holy Trinity’s TLC ministry will prepare dinners for Effie’s family this Thursday and Friday (approximately 12 people in all). If you would like to participate, please contact Leslyn Radomsky for more information.

Effie was well known as an energetic, vibrant, and generous person who was just as busy and active during retirement as she had been throughout her life. She was born in Trikala, Greece on March 18, 1934, a daughter of Aristides and Vasiliki Amprazis, who preceded her in death. The family immigrated to Westminster, MD, in 1946. She graduated from Westminster High School in 1954 and attended Baltimore Business College. She eloped with her high school sweetheart, James Eldred Zuck, who survives. They married in Charleston, SC, on July 30, 1955.

Effie and James owned and operated a Tupperware distributorship in Southwestern Pennsylvania from 1972 until 1990. They retired to State College to live near their four children, who also survive her: Leslie Karen Zuck of Spring Mills; Joni L. Arrington of Pine Grove Mills; Penelope Sandoval of Boalsburg; and James Eldred Zuck, Jr., of Boalsburg.

In her 70s, Effie earned the certification of “Master Gardener” from Penn State. She was a frequent winner of “Best of Show” for her wreaths and flowers at the Centre County Grange Fair. Effie volunteered her time to numerous organizations including Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and used her vast energy and expertise to beautify many local gardens and public spaces.

Effie had a passion for making the world more beautiful, whether by planting flowers everywhere or by sharing nature’s beauty through her floral crafts and extraordinarily green thumb. Her seasonal herb and wreath business, Effie’s Common Scents, was very popular, and many of her customers became her friends as she crafted wreaths for their homes year after year. She was employed by Fox Hill Gardens in State College, until her death.

In addition to her husband and children, Effie is survived by her sister, Zoe Sirinakis of Westminster, MD; grandchildren George B. Georgiadis of Edgewater, NJ; Vasilia, Jewels and Gabriel Sandoval of State College; John Tyler Arrington of Pine Grove Mills; and Jade Cruz of Hawthorne, FL; son-in-law John Arrington of Pine Grove Mills; nieces and nephews: Dino Amphrazis, Zoe Amphrazis Roff and Vickie Turrano of New Jersey; James, Harry and Kyparissia Sirinakis of Maryland; and Dana Kenneman of New Oxford, PA. She was preceded in death by her brothers Constantinos Amphrazis, who died in infancy, and Christos Amphrazis.

Contributions for a garden memorial in Effie’s name may be made to Centre County Historical Society, 1001 East College Avenue, in State College.

May Effie’s memory be eternal!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Luke Theodore Stevens, newborn son of Shane and Maria Stevens, and newborn grandson of Ellen George. He was born earlier today, Tuesday, November 8, at home, weighing 8 lbs. 9.5 oz. and measuring 20½ inches long. Both mother and baby are doing well. Many years!

BELLEVUE, WA — At the Sixteenth All-American Council here, iconographer Dmitry Skholnik is showcasing the Christ Pantocrator icon he wrote for the ceiling of Holy Trinity’s Nave. Mr. Skholnik, who wrote the Playtera and the icons of the new iconostasis installed last summer, will install the Pantocrator on Thursday, December 8.

On Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the HUB Auditorium on campus there will be a free screening of NEFARIOUS: Merchant of Souls,  a hard-hitting documentary that exposes the disturbing trends in modern sex slavery. From the very first scene, the film ushers your into the nightmare of sex slavery that hundreds of thousands experience daily. Viewers will see where slaves are sold (often in developed, affluent countries), where they work, and where they are confined through first-hand interviews with real victims and traffickers, along with expert analysis from international humanitarian leaders.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs (CERA), International Justice Mission (Penn State Chapter), Demand, and Burning Hearts. Doors open at 6:30pm. Refreshments and a short discussion will follow the film.

RELATED: You can view the movie at streamingmoviesright.com. 

Shane and Maria Stevens request volunteers to perform some light handiwork to finish their house for their new baby’s arrival. Tasks include patching nail holes, touching up paint, other light tasks, and moving furniture. If you can help for a few minutes any evening this week or weekend, please contact Shane. The Stevens Family thanks you!

Dr. Engelhardt’s talk is still on for tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Bucknell University. The campus was closed today (Thursday, September 8) but is reopening Friday morning; the river crested at Lewisburg at midafternoon today and is forecast to be down to still high but reasonable levels by 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Main roads accessing Bucknell should be open. But please use caution as some smaller roads could still be closed (the school district here plans to remain closed tomorrow due to concerns about some of its bus routes).

LEWISBURG – Orthodox Christian bioethicist and physcian Dr. Tristram Engelhardt will speak on “Bioethics after Christendom” at Bucknell University on Friday, September 9 at 4 p.m. in Trout Auditorium, with discussion afterward.

In his talk, Engelhardt will explore ethical concerns in health care and western culture from a distinctly Orthodox Christian point of view. His visit through our region is being sponsored by the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania (Orthodox Church in America); the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at Bucknell is one of the lecture’s co-sponsors.

Dr. Engelhardt (who is both a Ph.D. and an M.D.) is a professor of philosophy at Rice and emeritus of medicine at Baylor. He is also the senior editor of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, Christian Bioethics, among others. Perhaps his most notable work is entitled “Foundations of Bioethics” (Oxford), which was reviewed by The New England Journal of Medicine as “one of the most brilliant books to appear in the field.”

The talk will be followed by a time of discussion.