Obituary of Dr. Tambakis, Apostolos

Dr. Apostolos P. Tambakis, 94, of New York passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at Weill Cornell Medical Center on Friday, December 4, 2020. Apostolos was born to Panagiotis and Vasiliki Giannopoulou Tambakis in Kalamata, Greece on October 24, 1926 and married Virginia Spanos in 1958. He graduated from The Military Medical School of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1953. He volunteered as a physician in the Greek army, and was recently recognized and honored as a distinguished ambassador for his services during the Korean War. In 1956, he immigrated to the United States, and studied at St. Luke’s Hospital and the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York City. He practiced as an orthopedic surgeon for 55 years until 2012. Apostolos was a founder of the Greek American Hippocratic Orthopedic Society and former President of the Hellenic Medical Society of New York. Dr. Tambakis was an icon of integrity and generosity to Greek causes and organizations throughout the NY metropolitan area and Kalamata. He was a passionate philanthropist, donating the first one hundred computers to his elementary school in Kalamata, his Brooklyn office to the Hellenic Medical Society, and a commercial building to Saint Demetrios Church. Dr. Tambakis was preceded in death by his loving wife, Virginia and survived by his two daughters Constance Tambakis-Odom and Christine Tambakis McDonnell (Dennis), and his grandchildren, Virginia Ruth Odom, John Apostolos Roscoe Odom, and Alexander Bailey McDonnell. and Sisters Christina Spanos and Calliope Kefaki. His service will be held on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 10 AM (9am-10am viewing), at Saint Demetrios Cathedral, 30-11 30th Drive, Astoria, NY. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations on behalf of Dr. Tambakis to the Hellenic Medical Society of New York, 139 East 57th Street 8th Floor New York, NY 10022. May His Memory Be Eternal! The visitation will appear virtually on Zoom. Before joining a Zoom meeting, you must download the Zoom App or go to www.zoom.com. When joining a zoom, enter the meeting ID number: 2129424000 You will then be ask to enter the password: 2129424000 Select if you would like to connect to audio and/or video. You can also use this link to attend the zoom meeting