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!
