Vrysula Coucouvitis Nicholas
1912 - 2013
Much beloved, Vrysula Coucouvitis Nicholas, 100, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Anastasios Coucouvitis of Ellasona, Greece, died peacefully of natural causes at the home of her daughter Susan and husband Richard Johnsen in Louisville, KY, July 25, 2013.
Born August 6, 1912, Vrysula, also known as Sue, emigrated with her brother, Michael, to the United States from Greece, sponsored by her Uncle, Nicholas Coucouvitis, who had previously emigrated to this country. She lived in Haverhill, MA with her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. George Samaras, and attended Mount Hermon Academy, and Bradford Junior College. Sue became an active member of the growing Greek-American communities of Haverhill, MA, Manchester, NH, and Portland, ME where her older sister, Chrysula, also sponsored from Greece by their Uncle Coucouvitis, had established her home and family.
While living in Portland, Sue met her future husband, Lt. Nicholas John Nicholas, USN. In 1912, at the age of three, Nick came to America via the Greek community in Istanbul and settled with his family in Portland, ME. Nick graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1932, and Navy Submarine School in 1935, and they were married later that year.
During the early years of marriage, Sue lived in China and the Philippines where her husband had been assigned to submarine duty on board the S 36, one of the Navy's aging "pig boats". With the onset of World War II, Sue returned from China to the United States to live near her husband's and sister's families in Portland, ME. Sue remained there and raised her family of four children while her husband Nick skippered submarines in the Pacific Theater and became a local Portland war hero having earned several campaign medals and Bronze and Silver Stars with Oak Leaf clusters for courage and bravery in action.
After the war ended, Sue and Nick, with their growing family, completed tours in New London, CT, Belmont, MA, Copenhagen, DK, Portsmouth, NH, Virginia Beach, VA, and finally in San Juan, PR, where her husband completed his long and distinguished Navy career as Chief of Staff to the Commander of the Caribbean Sea Frontier.
Sue and Nick retired to St Croix in the US Virgin Islands, a paradise that Nick had discovered and came to love during WW II when he visited Crown Bay Navy Base in St Thomas, USVI on shakedown cruises of newly minted submarines that were destined for action in the Pacific Theater. While living there, Sue lost her beloved husband who succumbed to war-related injuries in 1970, and shortly thereafter, she moved to Fort Lauderdale where she lived until joining her daughter Susan and her husband Dick in Louisville, KY.
As the matriarch of the Nicholas family, Sue was instrumental in arranging for the installation of the WW II Submarine Memorial at the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation Center in Washington, DC. The Memorial, a 6 foot by 8 foot stained glass window, depicts historic scenes surrounding the mission of the USS Spikefish, SS 404, in the Pacific Theater of WW II and was given to our Country by her sons, Nicholas and Peter. This gift honors the memory of her beloved husband Nick, commissioning skipper of the USS Spikefish, and “All The Officers And Men Of The US Navy Who Served In Submarines During WW II”. On June 10, 2003, at the dedication ceremony, Sue was presented a plaque by Rear Admiral Henry C. McKinney, USN Ret., President and CEO of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, in recognition of her tireless service as a Navy wife. For Sue, the inscription on the plaque meant everything: “Those Who Wait Also Serve”.
Sue’s life reflects the best of all those who came to this country working hard to attain the American Dream. Having left her parents behind in a small remote country village in northern Greece at the age of 14, Sue traveled to America where she received a superb education, proudly became an American citizen, and successfully raised a family of two sons and twin daughters. She leaves behind four children: Nicholas J. Nicholas Jr. of New York City and Nantucket, MA, Peter M. Nicholas, of Concord, MA and Boca Grande, FLA, Susan Nicholas Johnsen, of Louisville, KY, and Sara Nicholas Monroe, of Staunton, VA. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren: Hilary Nicholas Steinert, Alexandra Nicholas Caputo, John Kirby Nicholas, Peter Michael Nicholas Jr., Katherine Nicholas Ronan, Nicholas Trimble Monroe, and Kenneth R. Monroe III; and 13 great grand children.
Sue will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery alongside her husband, Captain N. J. Nicholas, USN Ret.
Memorial donations may be made to:
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
133 Pleasant Street
Portland, ME, 04102
207-774-0281
Contact: Fr. Constantine Sarantidis
E-Mail: htrinity@maine.rr.com