Afrodite Helen "Lily" (Manolatos) Perdicakis

With heavy and saddened hearts, we announce the passing of our beautiful and beloved mom and yiayia Afrodite Helen “Lily” Perdicakis. 

She was born on April 13, 1951 on the high plains of Arusha, Tanzania to parents Mary (Perrou) and Spyridon Manolatos of Greek ancestry, and always lovingly claimed to be an honorary member of the local Massai tribe.  Her family hailed from the island of Kefalonia, nestled in the Ionian Sea, famed for its dazzling and blinding sunlight, and to which she always referred to as “my island”.  She traversed the globe with her parents and brothers, Basil and Dimitrios (both deceased), as her parents worked tirelessly, a trait that she too would possess to her final days.  She began her career in the airline industry with South African Airlines where she met her lifelong friend, Liza Fragkiskaki (deceased husband Costa), who introduced Lily to her brother and mom’s future husband, Nicolas Perdicakis.

Like many immigrants to Canada, Lily and Nick left everyone and everything they knew behind and moved from Athens, Greece to Lethbridge, Alberta in hopes of a better life for their beloved children, Basil (married to Lana) and Mary, and they succeeded.  Lily was a loving and amazing mother, and we were truly blessed to have her in our lives.  She had a kind and gentle spirit and a beautiful smile and laugh.  She was content enjoying the simple pleasures in life with friends and family. 

Lily was an amazing cook and baker and could fix or create anything imaginable with her array of sewing and knitting needles.  She was a hard worker, taking care of the home while also balancing a full-time career at Air Canada, where she met her wonderful lifelong friends Maurine Blain Berney, Siham Jabbour, Gaylene Lewis-Johns and Bev Marshall.  We would like to say a very special thank you to our Lily’s best friend Maurine for taking such good care of her and bringing her so much joy. Lily maintained cherished lifelong friendships around the world with the Lagoudakis, Haitas, and Tsavalos families as well as her god-sister Andrea, Allan Sack (deceased), and her wonderful friend Yulika Delenika.  She cultivated new and precious friendships in Canada at the Hellenic and Cretan Communities of Calgary including with Elpida and Lea Kamarianakis, Aspasia Guirgis, and Agapi Morianos.  Lily loved to travel and we were fortunate to enjoy many wonderful family vacations with her to Hawaii, South Africa, and most notably Greece.  We’ll always remember her love of the sea and big waves, especially when spent together with friends and family. 

Although Lily possessed a kind heart, she was also fiercely strong, and in many ways the rock that her loved ones crashed themselves upon during difficult times.  She cared for her late mother with all her energy, strength, and devotion until her mom’s last breath.  We will miss her kind soul, love, and her strength.  It was her strength that allowed her to maintain her independence despite her failing health in her final years, and we are so proud of how she battled to live her life to the fullest during that time.  She loved all our pets and all animals throughout her life, and her cat Suki brought her much joy in her final years. 

Undoubtedly, her greatest joy in life were her four wonderful grandchildren who all loved her beyond measure and deeply mourn her passing.  She bestowed her strength and stoicism on her eldest grandchild Nicolas, her skill in the kitchen to Zoe, and her uniquely kind heart and soul to both Sophia and Alexa.

We loved you so much mom and yiayia.  You were such a wonderful person to love and know.  We hope you are at peace with God above now and are reunited with your beloved parents and brothers, and pray you are enjoying a picnic together again in the sky on a wild beach on the southern shores of Africa near Cape Town. 

We will miss and love you with all our hearts forever.

Lily’s Funeral Service with be held at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (1 Tamarac Crescent SW , Calgary, AB) on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM. Reception to follow after funeral service. For those unable to attend in person, there will be a livestream link available below.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Rockyview General Hospital.  We’d like to thank the wonderful staff there for caring for our mom.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Afrodite Helen "Lily" (Manolatos) Perdicakis, please visit our floral store.