Paula Nomikos Obituary

Paula Apostolakos Nomikos passed away peacefully on the morning of Sunday, September 14, 2025, at Saint Francis Downtown Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, after several months of sharply declining health. Paula (Politimi) was born on November 14, 1936, in the small village of Parorio outside of Sparta, Greece, to Helen and Rev George Apostolakos. The middle child of seven surviving siblings, Politimi (meaning "precious") was briefly paralyzed by polio at a young age. She and her family endured the Nazi invasion and Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. Her mother's US citizenship allowed the family to immigrate to the United States of America in 1947, where they settled in Queens county, New York. At the age of 16, Paula met her soulmate, Emanuel "Manny" Nomikos, when he pulled her hair during church choir practice. They have lovingly aggravated each other ever since. In spite of attending different high schools, Paula (then known as "Pauline") and Manny grew in their relationship and were married on March 3, 1957. Manny enlisted in the United States Air Force, and the young newlyweds moved to Arizona. While Manny was stationed as a radar operator on Mount Lemmon and Paula worked as a secretary in Tucson, the couple welcomed their first child, Dion Paul. A year later, they were expecting another child, their son Peter Paul. Since Manny had completed his assigned tour of duty, they decided to return with their growing family to their home state of New York, where he resumed employment at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York City. After several years of living in the city with their two sons, Paula and Manny built a house in the suburbs of Long Island. Shortly after moving in, their daughter Maria-Elena arrived. While caring for their home and children, Paula sold Avon products. She also found the time to teach Sunday School and to volunteer at the local nursing home. Manny felt that the long hours spent commuting by train to New York City for his job put a strain on the young family. After much discussion, Paula was agreeable to relocating to a different state when Manny was offered a position at one of Met Life's new computer data centers. So in 1974, Paula and Manny embarked on a new adventure by moving their family to South Carolina, where they built a new house in Simpsonville. Once their youngest child entered middle school, Paula began working as an office manager for the local South Carolina Mental Health Center. This experience led her to a long career as Practice Manager for Chiropractic doctors, and she started a home business called ChiroAssist. In between work and family, Paula served as a Sunday School teacher, and she participated in her church's choir for over twenty years. She helped with the annual Saint George Greek Festival many times. She volunteered to provide companionship to nursing home residents and helped to care for the elderly members of her community. In addition, Paula and Manny have donated funds toward the construction and operation of All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery in Calverton, New York. Most recently, Paula was involved in knitting blankets and hats for cancer patients and for infants in the intensive care units of local hospitals. Paula is remembered for her kind words and willingness to help in any way she could. Paula is survived by her husband of sixty-eight years, Manny; her sons, Dion and Peter (Alisa) Nomikos; her daughter, Maria (Michael) Atkinson; her grandchildren, Jeremy and Katrina Atkinson; a brother-in-law, Louis Demeson; two sisters-in-law, Mary Ann Apostol and Irene Kateris; many nieces and nephews; several cousins around the world; and four godchildren. Paula is predeceased by her parents and all of her siblings. Funeral details will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations in Paula's memory to be sent to All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery, P.O. Box 215, Riverhead, NY 11901. "I Love You More Than Yesterday, Less Than Tomorrow."