Kocoran, Alexandra A.

Alice (Alexandra) Kocoran, 93 years of Penfield, passed away peacefully in her sleep January 7, 2022. She was the middle child of the late Jerry and Helen (Stathopoulos) Mourelatos. Preceded in death by her husband, Nick, son, Peter and her brothers, Theodore, and Anthony. Survived by her daughter Mary (David) Gallis, granddaughter Christina Forties, grandson Daniel Gallis, great granddaughter Elena Forties and cousins in Buffalo NY, Arizona, and Greece.

Alice’s family owned and operated the Batavia Tip Top Restaurant on Main Street during the 1940s. She graduated from Batavia High School in June 1946 and graduated from Rochester Business Institute in 1948. Alice worked at Massey Harris in Batavia until her marriage to Nick in 1955. Nick and Alice met at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church and moved to Rochester after their marriage. She was excited to move to Rochester and shared stories of working in downtown Rochester. Alice enjoyed working in the business community; Ritter-Pfaudler, Rochester Community Bank, and local real estate. She worked for over 55 years.

Enthusiastic about writing poetry which she began in high school, it provided her with a lifelong expression of her faith, belief in the goodness of humankind, compassion, empathy, strength, resilience, and an endless capacity to love. Alice enjoyed sharing her poetry with friends, family, and community. 

 Alice’s great faith was with her always and she took joy in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church community. Alice grew up in Batavia NY where there was not a Greek Orthodox Church. Her mother would travel to Buffalo or Rochester periodically to attend church and kept the faith in the home. Alice would share stories of her and her younger brother Tony attending the Methodist Church in Batavia. Her mother encouraged going to the Methodist Church knowing that faith in God has no religious affiliations. 

Once Alice was in Rochester, she was excited to be an active member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church community. She was a Sunday School teacher, president of the Daughters of Penelope Society, wrote for the Sunday School curriculum, wrote Christmas and Passion plays for Sunday School and contributed to the Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper on Orthodox faith and Greek cooking. She was always there to welcome newcomers to the Annunciation Church with a big smile and kind words. If someone were speaking Greek in a grocery store or department store, she would walk up and introduce herself. Alice helped several newly arrived Greek immigrant families with translating for job interviews or would go with them to doctor’s appointments. She has many friends who remember her kindness and friendship; she was a ray of sunshine in the church hall and everywhere she went.

After her husband passed away in 1985 after a 10-year illness, Alice continued to maintain the family home and took immense pride in its care and her independence. She painted, started gardening and found another avenue to express her love of family and home. There were many family dinners at Grandma Alice’s kitchen from roast leg of lamb, skordalia (Greek garlic dip) to the family steak. She loved cooking for her family.

Alice was the child of Greek immigrants, proud of her Greek roots and family. She cherished her two trips to Greece, visiting with first cousins, sleeping in her grandmother’s home, and walking in the footsteps of her parents. Forever grateful to her parents for the courage to come to America and especially her mother who, travelled alone at 18 years of age to marry. Alice helped her husband Nick to prepare for naturalization and taught him to drive. She understood the struggles, determination, and strength needed to begin a new life in the United States. 

Alice’s greatest joys of life were her family. Putting a smile on their faces was her goal. She said, “the greatest adventure of her life was raising her daughter.” A fun-loving grandmother she could be seen teaching her grandson to ride a bike and then ride her granddaughter’s banana seat bike up and down the street with her grandson. She had a kiddy pool and sprinkler set up in her backyard and would run through with her granddaughter. Every Sunday was spent with her family attending church with her grandchildren. There are fond memories of Grandma Alice playing in her grandchildren’s pretend kitchen and creating a restaurant menu for them, dressing up for Halloween, sharing jokes and attending school plays. She shared with them her love of potato chips, peanut butter, and Hershey Mounds bars. There was an abundance of high heel shoes and fancy dresses for her granddaughter to dress up in and cars, and an electric train set up in her basement for her grandson. Alice was proud of her grandchildren and her great granddaughter. Elena was her joy and always would let you know she was a great grandma; to Elena she was, and always will be GG. 

Her older brother Ted was the recipient of her practical jokes. From presenting him with a birthday sponge cake (made of sponge), creating a pack of Wrigley’s gum with empty sticks of gum, making a Teddy birthday flag and Popeye shirt, she filled her family’s lives with love and laughter.

Alice faced the adversities of life, the loss of her baby son, her husband’s ten-year illness, and her battle with breast cancer with strength, courage, and a never-ending belief that each new day was a gift from God.

Alice’s last words were “I just love everyone.”  Truly what a beautiful gift she gave her family as she went to be with God. We are blessed to have had her in our lives and her spirit will be with all she touched.

Alice wrote:

Whatever else the family remembers of me,

Please let them also remember the laughter,

Guard me against being unable to see the funny side of life, 

Even when things go wrong.

Scatter deeds of love every day,

Sprinkle joy along the way,

And one day you will reap,

A harvest of loving friends, 

To cherish and keep. 

(Dedicated to her childhood friend of 86 years, Loise who passed away 2 years ago)

Alice’s family would like to thank her friends Fr. Jerry, Barbara, Dedee, and Christopher for their love and support, to Jamarie and Greg who stayed in touch and to the staff at Heathwood Assisted Living for their care. 

Funeral Service will be Friday, January 14th at 10:00 am 

Annunciation Greek Orthodox, 962 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14607, burial at Mt. Hope Cemetery. 

Donations in Alice’s memory may be made to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 962 East Ave, Rochester NY. 14607