Saundra Jean Karas

Saundra Jean Karas, 85, died peacefully on February 1, 2026, in Providence, Rhode Island. She was born on January 23, 1941, in the Bronx, New York, to Louis and Helen Chafouleas.

Saundra (Zaxaroula) was the mother of two children, George Karas and Leysa Karas, and the former wife of Nick Karas. She is also survived by her daughter-in-law, Eva Karas, and her son-in-law, Eliot Minor. She was a devoted grandmother to Amelia and Gabriella Karas, who brought her great pride and joy. They loved getting manicures with their Yiayia, going out to eat and getting ice cream together.

Saundra spent a large part of her life in Queens, New York. She attended the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in Manhattan and began her professional life in retail, working at Best & Company and B. Altman. After raising her children, she returned to the workforce first as an administrator at her children's school and later as an optician. She spent her final working years at Costco in Naples, Florida, a role she enjoyed for both the work and the people she met along the way.

After Saundra left Queens, she lived in Rock Hill, New York, before moving to Naples, Florida and then spending her final years near her daughter in Warwick, Rhode Island. She will be remembered for her wry wit, warm heart, and the deep love she shared with family and friends.

Those who survive her and were touched by her life include her sister-in-law, Argy Chafouleas; nephew, Eleas (Sandra) Chafouleas; niece Eleni (Nicholas) Koutsoftas, and lifelong friend Dee Caron.

- may her memory be eternal.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, February 6, 2026, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 808 N. Broom Street, Wilmington, DE 19806. Burial will follow in Old Drawyers Cemetery in Middletown.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Saundra's memory:

Alzheimer's Foundation of America https://alzfdn.org/donate/

or to the

American Stroke Foundation https://americanstroke.org/donate/