Greek Services

chicago area

Greek Services

Chicago Greek Funerals is committed to supporting families with compassion and professionalism during life’s most meaningful moments. While welcoming all faiths, we specialize in Greek Orthodox traditions, honoring customs passed down through generations. With over sixty years of combined experience, we thoughtfully create services that reflect each family’s unique needs and wishes, and we are honored to serve the Greek community during times of remembrance.

Chicago Greek Funeral Service

At Chicago Greek Funerals, our mission is to serve every family with dignity and respect while helping them create a meaningful service for their loved one. We welcome all denominations while specializing in Greek Orthodox funeral traditions, honoring the customs passed down through generations. We believe every family is unique and deserves a service thoughtfully tailored to their needs and wishes. With over sixty years of combined experience, we are honored to support the Greek community during life’s most sacred moments.

Why Choose Us

We bring over 60 years of combined experience and are based at Kolssak Funeral Home, proudly serving the Chicago area since 1930. Along with our Wheeling location, we partner with area funeral chapels to offer convenient options for families. We work closely with local Greek Orthodox churches and clergy and understand the traditions and needs of our community.

Our team assists with visitations, services, and sacred funeral rites rooted in Greek Orthodox tradition, providing full-service support every step of the way. Chicago Greek Funerals is led by Dean Argiris with the support of Kolssak Funeral Home in Wheeling. For assistance, call (847) 537-6600 or Dean directly at (847) 537-6600.

Dean Argiris

Dean has dedicated his life to serving others, especially within the Greek community. He began working in funeral service at age 16 under the guidance of his godfather, Peter “Taki” Adinamis, and the Adinamis family in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. He later spent over 20 years serving families with John G. Adinamis Funeral Directors, where he gained deep knowledge of Greek traditions and the importance of dignity and respect. With more than 40 years of experience, Dean takes great pride in the trust families place in him and remains an active member of the Greek community, serving at Ascension of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church. He has been part of the Kolssak Funeral Home team for the past 11 years.

Hear From

Our Community

Listening to the families we’ve served offers heartfelt insight into the care and compassion they experienced.

Kolssal funeral home gave us a magnificent funeral for my beloved mom. We needed to plan the funeral very quickly, and they took care of every detail with utmost professionalism and sincerity. My mom looked extraordinarily beautiful with the makeup and hair done by Cory. He styled her so meticulously, that it made her look as if she was healthy once again. At cemetery service, Dean managed a very large crowd to perfection. He helped me select and planned a luncheon and additional ordered all of the necessary death certificate documents I needed afterwards, even dropping them off at my house. I am very proud to have had this team represent our family’s funeral. It was truly a magnificent and glorious day, and I know my mom would have been proud if she was there watching this beautiful service in her honor. Kolssak funeral home really goes above and beyond to take care of every detail so the family can grieve and they manage all the funeral from the beginning planning to the cemetery service.

- Tina Kotsionis

Traditions

By and large, the Greek Community belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. The Greek Orthodox church traces its origins to the apostolic assembly with Christ and the Holy Spirit themselves. Through the centuries the church has adopted many traditions rooted in sacred scripture and theology. The rich history of the people of Greece has changed in some ways since coming to America, but the core values and practices remain largely unchanged. The Greek Orthodox Church believes in the importance of pausing and reflecting on the life of a member of the church. There are five main traditions surrounding a death in the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Five Traditions

1. The Wake: the wake or visitation is generally held the night prior to the funeral service. This gives a time for friends and family to gather and look at photos, share memories, and give condolences. During the wake the “Trisagion Service”, meaning Thrice Holy, is performed.
2. The Funeral: the funeral service is held within the church. This is a time for sharing of sacred hymns, scripture, words of remembrance, and the final blessing and viewing of the body. A farewell kiss, referred to as “The Kiss of Peace and Anointing” is common. Mourners will pass by the casket one final time at the end of the service.
3. Burial Ceremony: following the funeral service at church the family and friends process to the cemetery of the family’s choice for the burial service. The priest will continue with traditional burial prayers and chants. The grave is blessed. Often grains of wheat are placed in the grave. This tradition symbolizes everlasting life and claims its roots in sacred scripture. John 12:24, which reads: “…unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."
4. Post Funeral Lunch: This is not required but a long-standing tradition. The Makaria or mercy meal is a time to gather with the attendees of the funeral and break bread together. Unlike some post funeral luncheons this meal centers around Christ, fish is normally served to commemorate the meals Christ shared with his disciples.
5. The Memorial Service: Part of the Greek funeral tradition is a memorial service which is usually held on the first Sunday after the funeral. This time is meant to be a token of appreciation to God for his mercy as well as a remembrance of the deceased. Traditionally, the Trisagion Service is performed during this time. Traditionally memorial services are held three days, 9 days, the last Sunday of the 40-day mourning period, every three months for the first year, after one year, three years, and seven years. A Trisagion Service can be performed at any time upon the request of a family. Koliva, boiled wheat, is often part of the memorial service. It is placed in front of the memorial table or and icon of Christ. After the memorial it is blessed by the priest with holy water. It is then served to those who attended the service. The Greek Orthodox Church believes in the eternal life through Christ and views death in a positive attitude.