Christine Argeres Wallett, 94, of Naples Florida, passed away on Saturday, August 21, 2021, at AVOW Hospice House. “Yiayia” to her family, she was born to Greek immigrants Peter and Maria Argeres in Brooklyn NY.
Christine is survived by her daughter Hope E. Moore of Naples, grandsons Geoffrey R. Moore of Naples and Matthew R. (Kathy Mah) Moore of Brooklyn NY, great-granddaughter Melia, nieces, nephews, loving family and friends. She was predeceased by her son Richard D. Evangelou, sister Bessie Pallas and brother William Argeres.
Christine started working at 15 managing her parent’s confectionary store in Brooklyn. She attended Brooklyn College and McDowell School of Design. Her lifetime jobs and careers read like “What Color is Your Parachute” – shopkeeper, translator, court stenographer, salon owner, administrator, marketer, professional organizer, bed & breakfast innkeeper, motivator, property manager, membership recruiter, outreach counselor and fund-raiser.
Christine’s generosity, energy and enthusiasm were limitless and she was an inspiration to all that knew her. She would best be described as “giving of herself to others”. As a young woman she gave service to her country during WWII as a Greek translator for the war department.
A devote Greek Orthodox she was always raising money for her church and for the communities she lived in. When her children asked why she spent so much time raising money for other people her response was, “Because I can, and because I should.”
She was a key player and coordinator of Open Line, a crisis intervention and phone counseling service, part of Xerox Corporation’s Corporate Involvement Program. She was a counselor and board member of C.A.R.E.S, Collier Area Research and Education Services, AIDS relief campaign. She was active with the American Business Women’s Association and the Women’s Network of Collier County. As a member of the Council on Aging, she was dedicated to the well-being of seniors.
Her friends have said that Christine did the ridiculous just to bring a laugh to someone. A favorite example was when she sprinkled fake snow from her condo door, down the elevator all the way to the lobby just to make her three-year old grandson think it snowed on Christmas day. In her later years she could always be seen on Halloween dressed up like a witch and traveling around town visiting her Naples Chamber of Commerce customers and friends just to bring them a smile. Her friends have said they became better people just by knowing her. Her favorite saying was, “Life is not a dress rehearsal, so make it count.”
There is a quote by author Steve Goodier that best describes every day of Christine’s life.
“What if today you gave yourself permission to be outrageously kind? What if you extended as much good will and kindness as you can possibly muster to every person you meet? And what if you did it with no thought of reward? I’m sure of one thing: it will be a day you will never regret.”
Christine lived life to the fullest with no regrets and touched the lives of everyone she met. Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, September 22, at 1 p.m. at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, NY. The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of a charitable donation to the Make The Dash Count Foundation @ www.makethedashcount.org
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