Evelyn A. Toumbis

Evelyn (Yia Yia) Toumbis, 94, entered eternal rest on September 28, 2024 in Jacksonville, FL, surrounded at home by her family. Evelyn was born on March 12, 1930 in Volos, Greece to Dimitrios and Anastasia Anastasiades (later shortened to Anestis). She spent her early years in Greece, before immigrating to America with her family after WWII at the age of 15, and then graduating from Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, NY. While in high school, she worked at the famous FAO Schwarz toy store in NYC. Evelyn was always a people person and she enjoyed her first experience working in retail, quickly moving up the ranks. This lead to her next endeavor at Abraham and Strauss (A & S’s) where she worked as an assistant buyer.

In 1950, she met her husband Andreas (Andy) and they wed that year. At the time, he was a resident physician at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Medical Center. They lived across from the medical center until the conclusion of his residency and the couple subsequently moved to Western NY where her husband was offered a medical director position. Even though Evelyn disliked the snow and would often laugh about how she wasn’t sure how she survived those years in the cold, she remained supportive of the better opportunity for her family.

In Gowanda, New York, they raised their two children and became a valued and respected part of the community. After their children left to pursue medical careers, Evelyn and Andy moved back to Greece for their retirement. They enjoyed thirty years together until his untimely passing in 1990. She never remarried, choosing to focus her energy on her family, helping to raise her daughter’s two children in Greece before subsequently moving to Florida in 2014. She resided in Crystal River for several years where she fostered many good friendships and was an active member at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church. Evelyn subsequently moved to Jacksonville to be with her son’s family after the coronavirus epidemic and remained there until her passing.

She is survived by her son, Dr. Constantine (Autumn) Toumbis of Jacksonville, FL and daughter Dr. Eugenia Toumbis Ioannou of Reading, UK, along with five beloved grandchildren- Yianni, Adriana, Anastasia, Costa and Isabella. She is preceded in death by her husband, Andreas (Andy) Toumbis, parents Dimitrios and Anastasia Anestis, brothers Tom and John, and sister Peggy, along with son-in-law Dr. Nikolaos Ioannou.

A viewing will be held at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Cemetery on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 8:30 am followed by a graveside service at 10:00 am.

Evelyn was a strong proponent of education, supporting her husband during his medical training and then continuing to be instrumental in supporting her children’s extensive educational endeavors. She saw firsthand that all possessions could be taken away in the blink of an eye during her experiences growing up in the WWII era, and was known for stating, “only education cannot be taken from a person”. Remembering this, in lieu of flowers please donate in her honor to Wayne State University School of Medicine to help support a medical student in need of financial assistance.