Nicole Papadakes Rubio

Nicole Papadakes Rubio, age 48, fell asleep peacefully in the Lord on Sunday, January 24, 2021 surrounded by her loving family. Nicole was born in Janesville, Wisconsin to her adoring parents, Nicholas and Anastasia Papadakes.

Above all else, Nicole was a devout Orthodox Christian and kept her strong faith all along through continuous prayer and by living a life of humility. She set a wonderful example for her children by always placing Christ first in life and not letting the tribulations and distractions of everyday life bother her. Her beautiful smile and enchanting eyes exuded her eternal hopefulness and heart of gratitude.

Nicole cherished her family and was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt and godmother. She met her beloved husband, Martin, through mutual friends in Houston and the two married after several years of courtship to start a beautiful family. Being a wife to Martin and mother to Anastasia and Gregory was her greatest joy, and the romance between her and Martin was as strong on the day she fell asleep as the day they met. Nicole loved to help her children with their school work, take them to sports practices and games, prepare gourmet meals, and spend warm summers at the pool or vacationing at the beach. Most of all, her favorite day was Sunday, when she would spend the morning with her family in church and then go out for a family meal.

As a child, Nicole displayed a beautiful sweetness of soul and early eye for style. She loved to convert her bedroom closet into a fashion boutique. Being the youngest sister of three, Nicole was eager to join in all the fun and was the very best of playmates. Just being near Nicole was a true gift. She was loyal and true to all her family and friends and will be missed beyond measure.

Nicole attended middle and high school at The Kinkaid School. After high school, Nicole attended The University of Texas at Austin graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textiles and Apparel, Retail Merchandising. She was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority and served as president. After college, Nicole worked for Neiman Marcus in Dallas as an assistant buyer. She then returned to Houston to pursue a Masters in Education and taught kindergarten and first grade at Presbyterian School.

Nicole is survived by her devoted husband, Martin and their precious children, Anastasia and Gregory. She is also survived by her mother, Anastasia Papadakes, sisters Georgy Ann (Bill) Peluchiwski, and Christine Papadakes, aunt, Angie (George) Ramel, parents in-law, Aimee and Martin Rubio, brother-in-law, Diego (Sue) Rubio, nieces and nephews, Leah and Nicholas Peluchiwski and Olivia and Henry Rubio. She is preceded in death by her father, Nicholas Papadakes.

The family extends its heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Daniel Booser, Dr. Barbara O’Brien, Dr. Ian McCutcheon and the entire MD Anderson team for their extraordinary care and support.

Services and burial will be private. For those wishing to pray with us, the funeral service will be livestreamed at 11:00am on Friday, January 29, 2021 on the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral website www.agoc.org.

In lieu of flowers, for those desiring, the family requests memorial donations to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Altar Fund, 3511 Yoakum Blvd, Houston, TX 77006 or online at www.agoc.org/donate/stewardship or The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or online at www.mdanderson.org/gifts.