Legacy of Love We couldn't really relate to the harshness of our mother's life because she never spoke of those hardships or of being deprived. When she did speak of her family life, it was to tell us how wonderful and kind her father was to her. She never spoke about her mother who had died when she was two years old. In the sixth grade, an IQ test revealed her genius. She was triple promoted to the ninth grade. Before she could graduate, she had to quit school to help support her family by working in a laundry. At home, she would listen for the whistle of the train which ran behind their small row house, this was a signal; it was time to pick up the fallen, loose coals, left by coal cars as they sped by. The coal heat her home for another night. At twenty two, she left home for an arranged marriage. Father worked in a shoe repair shop, while mother worked in a shoe factory. After standing on her feet long hours, she came home, cooked dinner, washed clothes, gave her three children their baths, and made sure everything was ready for the next day. She made our clothes because there wasn't enough money to buy them. Mother would labor for months sewing Easter outfits and work extra hours to buy us new black patent leather shoes. During the winter she knit mittens, hats, and scarves. We loved those winter warmers and the way we hung them over the warm oven door to dry. We loved the way we made snow angels, moving our arms back and forth as we lay on the snow piles. Father telling us, in his broken English, how we would freeze, if we stayed outside any longer. On Saturday mornings during the summer, we would get up early and leave for the beach. Mother packed lunch; brought towels, sand pails, shovels for play, a change of clothes, and a big blanket to sit on. Our parents walked for a mile carrying all the beach paraphernalia. Then we rode the trolley car into the city to connect with the underground transit, changing trains twice before arriving two hours later at the beach. We played, swam and built sand castles, while our parents finally got to rest on the blanket while they watched us play. Sometimes mother put her feet into the ocean water, holding her skirt high so the waves did not get it wet. Mother never wore pants, she made her skirts to hang just below the knees. Our parent's religion was Greek Orthodox but their church was too far away to attend, so she enrolled us in a Protestant Sunday School nearby. She wanted us to learn about the Bible, about God and about Jesus. She made sure we were immersed in the American way. As teenagers when the Greek Orthodox Church was built in Watertown, MA. and Father Metaxas was our parish priest, we came to understand the culture of our parents more fully. Looking back over the years, we came to realize we were very poor. There were many things we were deprived of, an apartment with central heat, running hot water, a telephone, even an automobile. All though a school drop-out genius, mother continued working in the factory to put her children through college. During those early years we never received a bicycle or other valuable gifts, but now realize we received the most valuable of all gifts, the legacy of a mother's love, the whistle of devotion, the fuel that still keeps us warm. Mother did more than her best, she provided the means and the meaning of how to live within a family and with the consideration for others. At one of mother's later birthday parties all nine grandchildren celebrated her life by writing and reading a loving dedication to her. The family has grown with the knowledge of her presence in their life. She leaves her legacy of love to her grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and 10 great great grandchildren. She was an extraordinary woman. Even in her later years she cuddled the new babies for hours until we plied them from her arms. We have all learned from her loving devotion and dedication to family and her presence will be eternal. Our mother died peacefully, taken by a flock of God's angels to her eternal home, on August 7, 2014. With great love, Cary, Irene and Connie Nora (Straggas) Koronas, 99, of Cambridge, MA, passed away, of natural causes on August 7, 2014. Beloved wife of the late John Koronas. Devoted mother of Cary Koronas and his wife Edna, Irene Koronas and Constance Agard. Loving grandmother of 9 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 10 great great grandchildren. Sister of Peter, Steve, Chris and Harry Straggas and Ann Cardillo. Funeral Service on Saturday, August 9, 2014 10am at the Taxiarchae Greek Orthodox Church, 25 Bigelow Ave.,Watertown. There will be a brief visitation prior to the service from 9 to 10 at the church. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory may be made to Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, 275 Grove St., Newton, MA 02446. Burial Mt. Feake Cemetery, Waltham ,MA. Arrangements by Faggas Funeral Home, Watertown, MA.