Nicholas George Karidakis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 3, 1931. His parents, George and Irene Karidakis, were immigrants from the Roumeli region of Greece. Not long after Nick was born, the family decided to move back to Greece to raise him with other family members. Nick spent the first part of his childhood in the Pangrati neighborhood of Athens, just behind the old Olympic stadium - where he remembered often sneaking in with friends to play. However, as Nick completed 3rd grade, the threat of World War 2 hung ominously over Greece, and the young Karidakis family returned to the safety and opportunity of the United States. They barely made it out, departing on one of the last ships to sail from Piraeus before the Italian invasion.
This time, the family settled in Duluth, Minnesota, where Nick’s uncle Jim Karidakis was established as a successful small businessman. Because Nick did not speak any English at the time, his school decided to enroll him into 3rd grade again - so that he could focus on learning the language. Nick picked things up so quickly that he was placed directly into 5th grade the next year, skipping 4th grade completely. He attended church every Sunday, most often as an Alter Boy, thus beginning a lifetime of service to the Greek Orthodox Church. He learned to play the violin, eventually rising to the position of second violinist in the Duluth High School Orchestra - igniting his lifelong love of music. And he continued to be a top-notch student, eventually receiving a full academic scholarship to spend his senior year attending the Phillips Academy in Andover, MA - a prestigious prep school that boasts famous alumni like JFK Jr. and George H W Bush.
While Nick was away at school, his parents decided to leave the snow and cold of Duluth and move to sunny Long Beach, CA. Nick joined them here in 1949, the same year that the new Assumption Greek Orthodox Church opened in town with a new priest directly from Greece. Nick became one of Father Billiris’ first Alter Servers and he eventually weaved himself into the very fabric of the Assumption community - serving in many roles over the years including:
In the late 50’s, Nick met another Greek transplant from Minnesota, Georgia Haidos, a beautiful young school teacher who, along with her sister, also fled to Long Beach to get away from the snow. They were married on August 23, 1959 and together for 50 years until cancer tragically parted them in 2009. It sounds cliche, but they truly were the love of each other’s life! Nick often referred to Georgia as his koulka or “Kookie” for short, and we know that they are happy to be finally reunited now that Nick has been called to heaven.
Nick’s love for music went far beyond church choir. He was a fan of classical music, American pop music of the 40s-60s, and especially Greek popular music. He had a large collection of Greek records, including dozens of 45 singles. On weekends, he would stack those 45’s on his turntable, sit on the couch with his mandolin, and play/sing along for hours. Little did he know that this would inspire both of his sons to become musicians playing Greek popular music themselves!
Nick studied engineering, first at Long Beach City College, and later at USC where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, but fortunately, he was able to perform all of his service stateside as and engineering representative of the Army to various defense contractors. After his discharge, he began a long career in the Southern California aerospace industry at places like Hughes Aircraft and most notably Northrop Grumman, where he ultimately retired in 1996. He was fortunate to spend his last 3 Northrop years as the company’s representative to sub-contractors in Lucern, Switzerland. Nick and Georgia took full advantage of their time living in Lucern, not only soaking up the local culture, but also taking numerous side trips to explore the rest of Europe!
Like many engineers of his generation, Nick was a devout do-it-yourselfer. He enjoyed building or repairing things at home (with mixed results!), and he really loved working on cars - especially his Red 1969 VW Beatle. He could remove that car’s engine in an hour, and rebuild it in a few days!
Like many fathers of his generation, he was extremely proud of and devote to his family. He is survived by his sons Jim and George (Diane), grandchildren Christina and Niko, sister Maria Bussa (Tom) - and their children Anthony and Dena, sister-in-law Kathy Ziegler and nephews Nick and Peter Maverick.
Though his health gradually declined over the last several years, Nick was able to remain in his home thanks primarily to 24-hour care from his devoted son Jim, frequent visits from Maria and George, and help from wonderful caregivers - especially Radel and Jorge. Nick passed peacefully in his sleep, in his own home, in the early morning of October 18, 2024.
Services for Nick will be at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 5761East Colorado St., Long Beach 90814:
Sunday, November 3, 2024
7:00 - 8:00 pm (Pacific time)
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Monday, November 4, 2024
11:00am - 12:00 pm (Pacific time)
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Monday, November 4, 2024
12:00 - 2:00 pm (Pacific time)
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
12:30 - 1:30 pm (Pacific time)
Forest Lawn
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