Thelma Latchis Carvelas passed away at age 92 on February 25, 2023, in Park City, Utah.
Born in Brattleboro, Vt., on July 11, 1930, she was the daughter of Spero D. and Koula (Katsimanis) Latchis. Her father and his three brothers, Peter, Emmanuel, and John built the Latchis Memorial Theater and Hotel in downtown Brattleboro in 1938. It was dedicated to their father, Demetrius, who immigrated to Brattleboro from Greece in 1901. The Latchis Theater and Hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is currently owned and operated by the Brattleboro Arts Initiative.
Terry, as she was known, was raised in a close-knit Greek American family. She attended Brattleboro High School and was a member of the Ski Patrol at Hogback Ski Area. She went on to Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., from which she graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Language. The same year, she married James L. Carvelas, M.D. of Youngstown, Ohio, and, in 1960, they moved to Rye, N.Y., where they lived for 34 years before retiring to Park City.
Mrs. Carvelas devoted much of her young married life to raising her five children and serving various church and community organizations. She and her husband were founding members of The Greek Orthodox Church of Our Saviour, which held its first services in 1961. Terry was a devout and valued member of the church’s Ladies Philoptochos Society.
An artistic and creative woman, she enjoyed knitting sweaters, shawls, and hats and was a prolific painter of landscapes. She and her aunt and business partner, Sophia Lyras, owned Enchanted Cottage Creations, which sold their various arts & crafts from 1985 through 1998. She was also a gourmet chef of Greek heritage dishes and pastries.
She had many long and enduring friendships over her lifespan and will be remembered for her intellect, sense of humor, and love of family. She was an exemplary person who will be dearly missed by all for her kind nature, generosity, beauty, and humor.
Mrs. Carvelas is survived by her five children: Lou, Paul, Philip, Don, and Ann; her son-in-law, John Fullerton; her daughter-in-law, Julia Carvelas; her grandchildren Daniel and Ethan Carvelas; and her brothers, James of Brattleboro, George of Burbank, Calif., and Kenneth Latchis, M.D. of Bethesda, Md.
A graveside service will be held in the springtime in the Carvelas family plot in Morningside Cemetery in Brattleboro, where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband James and other relatives.
To share a memory or send a condolence to the Carvelas family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
