Trenton N. Karalekas ’50 died on March 30, 2018, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

(The following was published in the Boston Globe on April 15, 2018)

Trenton Nicholas “Ted” Karalekas, ninety-three, of Needham and Worcester, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2018, after a period of declining health. His daughters were at his side. Ted was born on October 28, 1924 in Cambridge, the son of Nicholas and Dionysia (Constantine) Karalekas and was reared in Portland, Maine. He served in the US Army during WW II and graduated from Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine) in 1950. Ted married the love of his life, Georgia (Stamatos) Karalekas, on June 25, 1950, and together they settled in Portland, where he joined the family business of prominent restaurateurs. In 1966, Ted, Georgia, and their three daughters moved to Needham, where he lived for over fifty years. His loving wife, Georgia, passed away in 1978. Ted’s move to Needham enabled him to complete a Master of Education degree at Framingham State University and pursued a career in elementary school education. He taught in the Quincy public schools for over thirty years. In 2016 Ted moved to the Willows, a retirement community for independent living in Worcester, to be near his family. He cherished the time he spent with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Despite his many accomplishments in life, Ted was a humble man who was known for his captivating personality, sense of humor, gift of conversation and generosity. He loved music, art, nature, and food. He was well read and traveled the world, thus making him well versed in a variety of topics, with a breadth and wealth of knowledge. He had a passion for travel, and as soon as he returned from one trip, he was booking his next trip. He was not only interested in his own travels, but also loved hearing details about other people’s travels. Ted loved going to the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, and the National Parks, but most of all, the Maine coast, particularly Boothbay Harbor, where he was fortunate to celebrate his ninetieth birthday in 2014 with four generations of his family. Ted was a longtime member of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Weston and a seventy-year member of the Masonic Lodge, having achieved the rank of Master Mason in 1946. Ted is survived by his three loving daughters and their husbands, Dorothy K. Whalen and Thomas P. Whalen of Greenville, SC, Susan A. Karalekas and Nickolas Lupinin of Swanzey, NH, and Diane P. Karalekas and Dean G. Alexandrou of Worcester, his grandchildren, Elizabeth Schuster, David Schuster, James Whalen, Christian Alexandrou, and Danae Alexandrou, and great grandchildren, Gabriela Lopez and Eduardo Lopez.