Panagiota Alexandropoulos was born in Montreal, Canada on August 24,
1976 to Dimitrios and Constantina Alexandropoulos, Greek immigrants from
the Peloponnese. The youngest of three sisters (Amalia and Nikoleta),
Panagiota was also among the youngest of
her generation on both sides of the family. Although she might have
been the baby of the family, Panagiota was neither spoiled nor
sheltered, and she quickly learned to handle herself among her older
siblings and cousins. (Legend has it that by the age of two Panagiota
could eat an entire steak; the irony of this will not be lost on those of you who knew her as a strict vegetarian later in life.)Panagiota grew up in the predominantly Greek Chomedy section of Laval, a suburb of Montreal, in close proximity to a number of aunts, uncles and cousins on her mother's side. At home Panagiota spoke Greek, while at school she learned and spoke French. At the age of nine and with very limited English, she moved with her family to the US, eventually settling in Mullins, SC. In Mullins her father purchased a restaurant, to which the entire family would contribute their hard-earned sweat equity. Although life would eventually become easier, Panagiota had many stories of working late into the night or early in the morning to help maintain and grow the business.
Panagiota attended Francis Marion University in nearby Florence, where she earned a degree in mathematics while continuing to work at the family restaurants. After graduation, Panagiota followed her sister Nikoleta to the Philadelphia area and enrolled in Villanova Law School, where she graduated at the top of her class in 2001. A promising law student, she was offered a job at a leading law firm in New York, where she quickly became the protege of the managing partner of the firm's banking and finance practice.
While at the firm, Panagiota became very close friends with a fellow
associate named Lee, who eventually joined her in the
banking and finance group. Panagiota and Lee would work and eat
together almost every day for over a year, prompting speculation among
many of their colleagues that they were dating. Although they would not
actually begin a romantic relationship until November 2002, to hear
Lee tell the story, it was well worth the wait. Already best of
friends, Lee and Panagiota quickly became completely enamored with each
other, and when Lee was able to secure a position with the firm's Paris
office in late 2004, Panagiota readily agreed to leave New York and join
him.Lee and Panagiota were married in Paris on July 7, 2005 in a Greek Orthodox ceremony. Panagiota continued to work for a brief time in Paris, but after nine difficult months decided to quit her job in favor of improving her French and enjoying her newfound home. After several months of study, Panagiota had become almost completely fluent in French, testifying not only to her dedication and intellect, but also to her remarkable ability with languages. (A fan of the Harry Potter books, Panagiota read the English, French and Greek versions.)
In March 2009, Panagiota was regrettably diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a rare form of the disease with limited treatment options. Panagiota underwent nine months of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, at the end of which she was given a very strong prognosis by her doctors. After undergoing this life-altering experience, Panagiota felt a strong desire to move closer to her family, and so Lee, Panagiota and Sofia left their Parisian apartment and settled into Moorestown, NJ. Although the move was incredibly stressful and required a large amount of adaptation, Panagiota was happy in her new home back in the US.
In November 2010, however, Panagiota was diagnosed with a recurrence of triple negative breast cancer in the same breast. Shortly thereafter she had additional surgery, followed by another round of chemotherapy which lasted into March. She was still recovering from her recurrence when she was diagnosed in June 2011 with metastases in the brain and lungs. Panagiota immediately underwent two craniotomies to remove the larger masses in her brain, followed shortly thereafter by physical therapy, radiation therapy and intensive chemotherapy.
Despite her valiant efforts to overcome her disease, Panagiota passed away at home on September 16, 2011, just three weeks after her 35th birthday. She is survived by her loving husband Lee, her beautiful daughter Sofia, her adoring parents Dimitrios and Constantina, her devoted sister Niki, her sister Amalia and innumerable friends and extended family.
Although she left us far too soon and we mourn her loss, we are dedicated to ensuring that her life and the joy she brought to so many people are remembered and shared. We thank you for taking the time to visit this memorial, and we encourage you to participate in our growing community of remembrance.
