Helen Tarazi

Ellie Tarazi began her beautiful life in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 1939. She was the only daughter of Theodore and Antigoni Sakellariou. Ellie had a carefree childhood growing up in Athens, along with her younger brother, Lambro. One of her favorite outings as a child was walking to the gardens of Zappeion every Sunday with her father to feed the ducks in the pond. She attended the Gounaraki School for Girls, where she immersed herself in the studies of art.

As the daughter of a World War 1 veteran, Ellie was born in Greece with American citizenship. In 1956, at the age of 17, she bravely embarked on a fourteen day journey by boat to meet her father and begin a new life in the United States. Her mother and brother followed shortly after. Ellie moved to Pasadena, California and attended San Gabriel High School. Thereafter she attended Pasadena City College, where she met the love of her life, John H. Tarazi, and graduated with an AA in Art History. Ellie and John married on December 12, 1959, at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles. They shared a cherished marriage of 57 years, and were blessed with three children, Vicky, Ted and Tina and four beautiful grandchildren: Jonathan, Arianna, Melina and James. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy, and the role of yiayia filled her heart beyond words. Her love and devotion to her family were her selfless priority.

She had tremendous dedication to her beloved St. Anthony Church. Ellie wholeheartedly served her community as a teacher in both the Sunday School and Greek School. She was a member of the Philoptochos and dedicated many years to various philanthropic causes for the church, and her Greek community. In 1975 Ellie and her husband John built and operated Jonell Oil Corporation together. Upon his retirement in 2013, Ellie stepped in as active CEO and successfully ran Jonell Oil for a decade.

The absence of Ellie’s daily presence will be profoundly felt, but her strength, devotion and love will live eternally to the many lives she touched. Ellie was an exceptional wife, mother, yiayia, and sister. She will be greatly missed. May her memory be eternal.

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