Virginia Lagiss

April 27, 1916 ~ June 14, 2017

Virginia (Ourania Kyriazi) Lagiss passed away on June 14, 2017. She leaves two children, Barbie and James and numerous nieces and nephews and grandchildren. She reached the age of one hundred and one years old living beyond her husband who predeceased her in 2012.

Virginia was born in Benicia, California in 1916. Both of her parents came from the Skopelos / Volos area of Greece. She attended college at San Francisco State University for her undergraduate study and attained a Master’s Degree from Stanford, University in 1962. She also worked for her Doctorate Degree in Education at Stanford. She was an excellent tennis player in her undergraduate college years playing with the men’s tennis team at San Francisco State.

Virginia met her future husband, Jim Lagiss in Pittsburg, California in 1938. They were married in 1941, when her husband was promptly sent off to Camp Roberts, California where he was a Staff Sergeant of Infantry Instruction during World War II. Virginia and Jim ultimately moved to Woodside, California where they lived for almost 60 years. They had three children, Patricia (deceased), Barbie and James.

Virginia taught school in various California School Districts until she became a counselor at Cubberly High School in the 1960’s. She and her husband also were actively involved in helping to found the Greek Orthodox Church of Belmont, California. Since the founding of the Belmont, Church, Virginia was the first woman President of the Parish Council. She also represented the Belmont Church at a meeting of the National Council of Christian Churches in 1964 and won the AXION AWARD in 1985. She was also actively involved with the Hellenic American Professional Society (HAPS).

In the final part of her career, Virginia became a travel agent with Peter’s Travel in San Francisco, California and tour group leader to many countries around the world. She led groups that traveled to Greece, Italy, Spain, England and other European countries, the Holy Lands and China. She also wrote for the Hellenic Journal of her Greek Heritage and many travels around the world. Virginia was active with the Greek Orthodox Church until just a few months ago.

Funeral Services will be held at the Greek Orthodox Church of Belmont, California on Thursday, June 21, at 11:00 am. For further information contact the church offices.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Greek Orthodox Church of Belmont, Alzheimer’s Research or Cancer Research