Klio Kokolis (nee Lykoudis), age 76, of Cherry Hill passed away on March 2, 2023. Predeceased by her husband, Spyros Kokolis, Klio was the devoted mother of Kathy (George) Zografos of Cherry Hill, Gerry (Kali) Kokolis of Berlin, and Gus (Zoe) Kokolis of Voorhees. She was the loving grandmother of Bobby, Spyro, Cleo, Maria, Niki, Klio, and Katerina and a beloved sister to Areti Mourelatou and Maria Tsireki. Her sister, Eirini Katsomalliari, predeceased her.
Born in Kontogourata, Kefalonia on September 16th, 1946, she met her future husband Spiros in 1965, at age 19, and moved to America. She immediately immersed herself in the Greek community of Saint Thomas which included bringing her children to church, Greek school, Sunday school, altar, and choir. She served the church in many capacities throughout her life. She was President of the Greek School PTO, a lifelong member of Philoptochos and a choir member.
She was a former Greek School dance instructor and eventually became the director and instructor of the Hellenic Heritage Dance Group. Her love and passion for dance actually began in elementary school, where she first performed Tsamikos, wearing a Tsolia costume.
In 1974, she realized her dream of establishing the Hellenic Heritage Dance Group. Since that time, she has taught almost 1,000 students and mastered more than 350 dances. For almost 50 years she cultivated, perpetuated, and preserved her Greek heritage and culture.
Klio dedicated her life to teaching authentic Greek folk dances to our St. Thomas youth. Her legacy will live on forever. Although she left too soon, we take great comfort in knowing that she is at peace now. She will be dearly missed.
Funeral services were held at St Thomas Greek Orthodox Church on March 10 followed by interment at Locustwood Memorial Park, Cherry Hill.
