Obituary of Diane "Soula" (Venios) Nikola

Diane "Soula" Venios Nikola, 75, of Peabody, died Monday, June 9, 2014. She was born in Peabody, daughter of the late Andrew and Theodora (Stevis) Venios, where she was raised and resided. Diane was the wife of the late Edwin "Nick" Nikola, with whom she shared 17 years of marriage. She attended Peabody public schools and graduated high school in 1956. In the same year, she began working at New England Telephone Company in Boston, and stayed with the company through its many changes. She, her husband, Nick, and daughter, Kirsten, would spend weekends at their camp in Maine, the "Rocks" in Gloucester, and later moved their winter vacations to Fort Lauderdale until Nick's passing in 1984. She loved to entertain, whether in her home for the holidays, cookouts by the pool or at the summer beach house in Gloucester. After her retirement in 1995, she traveled abroad with her friends and spent the winters in Fort Lauderdale with her siblings. She had been a lifelong member of St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church in Peabody where she served as a member of the Parish Council, and as Secretary and Co-President of the Philoptohos. Ever present in the church community, she worked tirelessly at numerous annual events and was dedicated to the ongoing mission of her church. Diane is survived by her daughter, Kirsten Nikola, of Peabody; her brothers and sisters, Mary Kaldes, John Venios and his wife Marilyn, Michael Venios and Ellen Venios, all of Peabody, and Eva Tournas of Salem; nieces and nephews, Theodora Tournas and Stephanie Scanlan of Salem; George Tournas and his wife Debbie, Charles Kaldes and his wife, Maureen; Andrew Kaldes and Theodora Markham, all of Peabody; grandnieces and nephews, Jason and his wife Janelle, Jimi, Christine, Drew, Maura, Evan, Nikko, Andrew, Patrick and Matthew; great-grandniece Mazzy; numerous friends, especially Jane McCarthy, Lola Kalivas, Paula Raftopoulos, Kristi Fadel and Ruthie Morfis; and lastly, her granddog, Sydney. Diane's family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Hathorne Hill in Danvers and the Neurology team at Lahey Clinic Burlington. Her family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, June 13, 2014 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody. Her funeral will be held on Saturday at 9 a.m. from the funeral home followed by a service at 10 a.m. at St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, 7 Paleologos St., Peabody. Kirsten requested that contributions be made in her mother’s name to St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, 7 Paleologos St., Peabody, MA 01960. Burial will be held at Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem. Please visit www.ccbfuneral.com for directions, online obituary and memorial guest book.