Theodora was born in the small mountain village town of Valtetsi in the Central Peloponnese region of Greece on May 20, 1935. She was the second child and eldest daughter of Panayiotis and Panayiota Sarantopoulos. She was raised with love by her father and stepmother along with her 5 siblings, Christos, Yiannoula (Jannie), Chrisostomos, Evthokia (Vickie) and Vangelis.

In 1944, members of the Greek resistance movement, a communist faction known as the Andartes invaded the village and kidnapped Theodora's mother holding her captive for a period of 3 months. When she was returned to her family, she was gravely ill and passed away shortly thereafter. Her father was left to raise the 5 children on his own, with the youngest being just an infant. Theodora did as much as she could to support her father, taking care of her younger siblings and baking bread for her family from the time she was 12 years old. After 5 years, her father remarried a kind woman named Georgia who loved and helped to raise the 5 children as her own. Theodora's youngest brother Vangelis was born in 1951.

In 1956 Theodora had the opportunity to emigrate to Canada and work in hotel laundry service. At the young age of 21, she left the comforts of her family home with only a few words of English and the words to the song "Row, row, row your boat". She made a 3-week journey on a large ship destined for Toronto. Within a couple of months and with the help of her boss, she arranged for her siblings Chrisostomos and Jannie to join her in Canada. After some time, their journey to the United States was made possible by their uncle who brought Theodora to California. Later with hard work Theodora was able to help her other siblings join her. Her uncle is also credited with making the introduction to her husband Sperangelos (Speros) who she married in 1960. Theodora began working in a clothing factory on Anaheim Street in Long Beach as an ironer and a seamstress. When a small business known as Fabric Barn opened next door, she began working there sewing ornate ribbons. She was known for her precision and for having the cleanest, most organized workstation. Although she did not share a common language with many of her co-workers, her laugh and kind natured demeanor bridged the gap and allowed her to gain friendships. In her 35 years there she learned basic conversational Spanish which came in handy over the course of her life.

In 1961 Theodora and Speros welcomed their first daughter Athena followed by Georgia in 1963. Their family was completed in 1975, with the birth of their third child, Gerasimos (Jerry). Theodora's home was filled with love for her family and for Christ, which was at the center of everything she did. She lived a life of faith in preparation for heaven and enjoyed being in church, often multiple times a week. Both she and her husband Speros dedicated much of their time and energy into various activities for the benefit of the Panagia, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox church in Long Beach. She was a long standing member of the Philoptochos often baking prosforo and making koliva for the departed. Amongst family and friends, she was famous for her diples and homemade yogurt. Her skills as a seamstress allowed for her to make clothes for her family and traditional costumes for many of the kids in the Greek community. There was no stopping her when the work needed to be done. This was the case at home as well. She started her day early for work, came home to make a home cooked meal for her family and did not lay to rest until all the daily chores were completed.

She was always thinking about others, whether it was the unwavering support of her family, her work in Philoptochos or through giving to the many local charitable organizations in the area. Best described by her family as a quiet leader, she was always able to give gentle encouragement to those that she could tell were in need. In her free time, she enjoyed day trips and traveling to Greece with her family. Her once in a lifetime, most notable trip was a when she traveled to the holy lands in Israel and visited the Jordan River where Christ was baptized.

Theodora is preceded in death by her parents, stepmother, her brothers Christos and Chrysostomos and brother-in-laws Gregory and Fred. Survived by her husband of 61 years, Speros, her children Athena, Georgia (Steve) and Jerry (Marianna); grandchildren Polyvios(Alex), Speros(Christianna), Theodora, Athanasios, Anna, Demetrios, Speros and great grandson George.
The Trisagion service and funeral will be at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 5761 E. Colorado Street, Long Beach, CA 90814. Trisagion at 7pm on Monday, December 27, 2021 and funeral at 10am on Tuesday, December 28, 2021. May her memory be eternal.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: CrossRoad Institute, a summer program connected to Hellenic College, 955 Massachusetts Avenue Unit #406 Cambridge, MA 02139 or online at https://www.crossroadinstitute.org/giving.

Arrangements under the direction of Chapman Funeral Homes - Terry & Mary Harmon, Funeral Directors. Toll free (855) 628-0447.

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Obituary notice for Chapman Funeral Homes. Please visit www.chapmanfuneraldirectors.com .

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