Valerie "Vasiliki" Pliotis

January 20, 1923 ~ July 3, 2025

Valerie "Vasiliki" Pliotis passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Kaplan Family Hospice Residence in Newburgh, NY, surrounded by her family.  She was 102.  Valerie was born on January 20, 1923, to Petros and Panayiota (Bouloukos) Striphas, in Skoura, Greece, a small village near Sparta.

As a young adult living in Greece during World War II and the Greek Civil War that erupted after the Nazi occupation, she experienced various hardships, and would often share these stories with her children, grandchildren and anyone who was interested.  She was the youngest of 10 children.   Two of her eldest siblings had already immigrated to the US in their late teens before Valerie was even born.  In 1951, her eldest sibling, George Striphas, sponsored her to come to the US, where she arrived in Newburgh after a long 20-day voyage by ship.  She met her brother, George, and sister Agatha Patsalos for the first time, and spent the next five years living with Agatha and her family.  She worked as a seamstress by day and attended night school to learn English.  She returned to Greece, and in 1957, married George Pliotis, her husband of almost 48 years. Shortly after they were married, they left Greece and settled in Newburgh, seeking a better future for themselves and their future children.

Valerie was a very caring and loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend and was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.   She was an excellent homemaker and loved to cook and bake delicious Greek meals, cookies and pastries, where there were often extras to share with neighbors and friends.  She eventually joined the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union where she worked as a seamstress for over 20 years. Valerie treasured her children, Pano and Dina, and had a big soft spot for her grandchildren, Helena and George, who live in London, England.  She would happily await their visits, and make sure to prepare their favorite Greek foods when they arrived.  Valerie was a very modest person, and though rarely said, was very proud of her children as she saw them successfully embrace the academic and career opportunities she never had back in Greece, and which likely validated that moving to and raising her family in America had indeed been the right decision.  Although she had little formal education, Valerie was very intelligent, loved to read (especially about her faith) and stay informed on what was going on in the world, often glued to CNN for hours (even if she couldn't understand everything given her broken English!).  She loved her family and was loved by her whole extended family, eventually becoming the matriarch of the Striphas/Pliotis clan here in America as more family members emigrated from Greece.  Valerie loved planting flowers every spring and cultivating a large vegetable garden producing ample tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and much more to feed the entire neighborhood.  She was an excellent seamstress and loved making dresses for her young daughter and herself and could tailor anything to perfection.

A faithful member of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church for almost 70 years, Valerie could be found every Sunday in the fourth-row pew, and if ever absent, the phone would ring with her church friends calling to see if everything was okay.  She loved her church and church community, having made many lifelong friends there who became like family to her.  An active member of the St. Nicholas Ladies Society for over 60 years, she dedicated her time and talents to helping support the church and community in anyway needed including helping to bake pastries for and working at the GreekFests,  Valerie was a sweet, kind and generous woman who seemed to touch the hearts of most everyone she met.  That said, she also had this strong, authoritarian side to her, which was saved to occasionally unleash on only her closest family and friends, earning her the title later in life of "The Commander".

Valerie is survived by her daughter, Dina Pliotis of New York, NY and Newburgh, NY; daughter-in-law Fiona Dunbar, beloved granddaughter Helena Pliotis, and beloved grandson George Pliotis (Elizabeth), all of London, England; along with numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and great-grand nieces and nephews in the US and Greece, as well as many friends in the Newburgh community.  Valerie was predeceased by her beloved husband, George Pliotis, and beloved son, Pano Pliotis, of London, England.

Family and friends are invited to the Brooks Funeral Home, 481 Gidney Avenue, Newburgh, NY from 4-7 PM on Wednesday, July 9, with the Trisagion Service beginning at 6 PM, to pay their respects and remember and celebrate Valerie's life.  The funeral will be held at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 19 Fullerton Avenue, Newburgh, NY at 10 AM on Thursday, July 10. Burial will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery, New Windsor.

If desired, friends and family may make memorial contributions to Valerie's beloved church, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 2004, Newburgh, NY 12550