Peggy Effinia Thodis

Lansing, MI

On April 16, 2025, Holy Wednesday, our beloved Peggy Thodis went home to the Lord at the age of 84, after living a long and wonderful life. She was surrounded by her family as she passed due to complications from surgery. Peggy was a radiant light in any room and anyone’s life right through her last hours.

Peggy was born on December 20, 1940, in Chicago to Anthony and Erasmia Mavrick, who emigrated from Methoni, Greece. Her Greek culture remained an influence and treasure that she passed down to two generations, through music, dance, food, and the Greek Orthodox Church.

She attended college at the University of Illinois, where she met her future architect husband George, with whom she had her children, Peter and Kevin. She later met her next husband John, the eternal love of her life, whom she married in 1980. With John she served as a chief executive’s perfect partner by bringing style and energy to professional and social gatherings, and made lifelong friends across America in the process.

Throughout her long life, she demonstrated her exquisite artistic talents as a pianist, an interior designer of homes and businesses, and as a talented painter of oil and acrylic paintings that she exhibited in art shows, homes, and businesses. However, she was most proud of her elegant Asian Sumi-e ink brush paintings, in which she was trained by a Chinese master artist.

Peggy’s charitable contributions ran deep. She was a co-founder of Lansing’s Impression 5 Science Center for children, for whom she was a Board member and co-chaired numerous major fundraisers. For years she ran the political action committee for the Michigan Manufacturers Association. As a faithful caretaker, Peggy was always bringing food and company to her ill and aging friends. For many years she organized her neighborhood’s community parties that brought old and new residents together. But the benevolence closest to Peggy’s heart was her love for the Orthodox church. In addition to her faithful attendance at services, she was a long-time member and leader of the ladies’ Philoptochos Society, the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. She also spent many long days and evenings in the church kitchen joyfully cooking the wonderful Greek meals that were served to raise funds for the church or to feed the needy. And when the church social hall needed a major renovation, she served as the interior designer of the large project.

Her sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, extended family, and friends were her entire heart and soul. We adored her beyond measure, and until we are reunited in Heaven, we will miss her constant smile, passion for an abundant life, generosity, many friends, and incomparable cooking and entertaining.

Peggy is now joyfully reunited with husband John, who passed in 2000. She is survived by her sister Debbie, sons Colonel (Ret) Peter Moutsatson (Elizabeth) and Kevin Moutsatson (Susan), and six grandchildren—Carson, Christian, Marlena, Jonathon, Nickolas, and Sophia, and many wonderful family members of the extended Thodis and Xeros families, whom she gained through marriage to John.

The family will receive friends during 2:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, 325 W. Washtenaw St., Lansing, MI, where a Trisagion service will occur at 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1701 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI, with visitation one hour prior. Interment will follow in Deepdale Memorial Gardens, Lansing. In lieu of flowers, Peggy would encourage contributions be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

May her memory be eternal!