Katerina McNelis

Katerina T. McNelis, 79, died Wednesday October 28 at Soundshore Medical Center after a brief illness. She was a long time resident of New Rochelle. Born July 9, 1930 in Kalamata Greece she was the daughter of Greek Railroad Union Leader Ioannis Toumpopoulos and Dimitra Konstantinopoulos. Growing up in war ravaged Greece during WWII and the subsequent Civil War, she was working as an assistant to the Minister of Communications for the Greek Government when she met and married Edward McNelis in 1956. She moved to New Rochelle in 1967 and became a fixture in the community. Mrs. McNelis , often seen in her daily walks around the Twin Lakes in New Rochelle ,was especially generous to those in need befriending the old, sick and homebound bringing them home cooked meals and her variety of specialty cookies, whose recipe she steadfastly refused to divulge despite multiple requests from commercial vendors. Known to her friends as Rena, she and late husband Edward spent much of their free time looking in on those who might otherwise have been forgotten. She was a longtime parishioner of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle. Mrs. McNelis was predeceased by her husband Professor Edward McNelis, former Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at NYU. She is survived by her son Dr John McNelis and his wife Maribeth of Garden City Long Island , son Dr Joseph McNelis of New Rochelle , two grandchildren Eddie and Kara McNelis as well as sisters Eugenia Oikonomea and the late Sophianna Christopoulou and brother Konstantinos Toumpopoulos.