By Beth Wallach
Raised in the Greek Orthodox church, she and Basil were married on Nov. 4, 1954, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Manhattan. Their nuptials were presided over by Archbishop Michael, who was then the leader of the church in North and South America. The Skeloses raised their family in Rockville Centre. It was then, according to Anastasia, that her mother gained a reputation for not just being mother to her children, but mother to the whole town. Said Peter, She was a professional woman who proved her abilities, but wanted to be a mother and a grandmother.
Although never a candidate for public office herself, Mrs. Skelos, originally from the same Bronx neighborhood as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, was a lifelong Republican. Long before she became involved in her sons- campaigns, she got an early taste of politics by volunteering for Dwight D. Eisenhower.
She was a Republican because to her it was the party of individuality, said the senator of his mother-s political leanings. He said that she felt strongly that every person be treated with respect and have an opportunity to achieve. She believed if you were willing to work hard, you could achieve anything in this country.
Not a club joiner by nature, Mrs. Skelos was a volunteer at Mercy Hospital, often interpreting for Greek patients with little or no knowledge of English. She was also on the U.S. Air Force Academy-s academic selection committee. Education was important to her, said Peter. She loved to interview the kids applying to the Air Force Academy.
Peter-s wife, Faith, said her mother-in-law was an avid reader who paid her grandchildren for every book they read. The kids caught on early, said Faith, and they started reading picture books.
As much as Helen loved books, her husband said it was the newspaper that she had a particular fondness for. She-d point out editorials and leave them next to my cup of coffee, said Basil. Constantly on the lookout for references to her children in various publications, Dean said, She was almost my Google.
According to Peter, she was politically savvy, and while campaigns are ultimately about getting candidates elected, for his mother there was deeper meaning. It was a way for her to socialize with our friends, said Peter. I think she stuffed, labeled and stamped more envelopes than anyone else in this town. A highlight for Mrs. Skelos came in 1994, when Dean won re-election to the state Senate and Peter was first elected to Nassau County-s District Court bench.
Proud of all of her children, including Nikolas, a chef, Anastasia, a registered nurse, and Penelope, a paralegal, the apple of Mrs. Skelos-s eye were her 10 grandchildren, ranging in age from 1 1/2 to 22. Daphne Skelos, 16, a champion swimmer who was often shuttled to practice by her grandmother, remembered how much Yia Yia, Greek for grandmother, loved the beach. She always told me and my cousin, Billy, to sweep out the cabana, Daphne recalled. She didn-t like sand. But she was really proud of our education and accomplishments.
Alexis Skelos, 20, a junior at William and Mary College, said Yia Yia was the first to call when she saw her grandkids- names on the high honor roll list in the newspaper. Alexis remembered going to her house every day before school. Whether we had breakfast or not didn-t matter, said Alexis. We always had to have cinnamon raisin toast at her house before school. Ten-year-old Paige Lester remembered that Yia Yia gave her a new American Girl doll every Christmas. Upon hearing that, family members remarked that someone will have to make sure they pick up where Yia Yia left off and add that to this year-s Christmas list.
Devoted to Greek culture, the Skeloses spent part of almost every September visiting relatives in Greece. They usually vacationed on the island of Naxos, but would often make a pilgrimage, with several first cousins in tow, to Helen-s ancestral village of Monemvasia, in southeast Peloponnese.
One of Helen-s surprising passions was sports, particularly basketball. Her family said that from afar she was on a first-name basis with her favorite players, referring to NBA legends Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing simply as Michael and Pat. She only went to a handful of games, but she did go to Madison Square Garden when Jordan played his final game against the Knicks.
Fiercely loyal to local merchants, Skelos also made her mark on people in the community. Ann Kim, owner of Star Nails, was deeply saddened by her death. Kim, whose son Sean is a specialist in the U.S. Army, has a photo hanging on the wall of her business of Sean, on leave from Iraq, Dean and Mrs. Skelos. The same photo, taken in the senator-s Front Street office, graces the living room in Basil-s Morris Avenue home as well. Mrs. Skelos, who knew Kim for seven years, told her that she was ill the day the picture was taken. Choking back tears, Kim said, She was a very good, kind person. I love her so much. I will miss her a lot.
A wake was held at Thomas A. Glynn and Sons Funeral Home on Sunday. A funeral Mass was held on Monday at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul in Hempstead. Several of the Skelos children spoke at the funeral, including Penelope, who said that her mother provided stability and was full of laughter, full of tears, full of love.
Speaking directly to her mother, Anastasia said, If there-s happiness in my heart, it-s because you helped put it there. Son Nikolas told the assembled mourners that Webster-s definition of mother fell short of what his mother was. He said that even in the face of illness, she still continued to be a mother, reminding him, just a few days before her death, to dress warm after last week-s snowstorm.
Nikolas also said that the pleasure his mother took in her cabana, in spite of that insidious sand, went further than her love of the beach. It-s where we grew to young adults, he said, brought our boyfriends and girlfriends, got engaged, brought our future in-laws and brought our babies.
In remembering his mother, Peter said, She always used to say, ÔI am proud of all my children.- But we were proud of her. Basil, thinking about his wife, summed things up when he said, Now all we have left are our memories.
Helen Skelos is survived by her husband Basil; her children, Dean Skelos (Gail), Peter B. Skelos (Faith), Anastasia Lester (Thomas), Nikolas Skelos (Eleni) and Penelope Michelis (Peter). She is also survived by 10 grandchildren: Adam, Alexis, Daphne, Basil, Jason, George, Paige, Eleni, Nikolas and Christina.
