Ada Athanassiou

Ada Athanassiou, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and renowned designer died on July 7, 2025, at the age of 76, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She formerly resided in New York City and Wilson Borough, PA. Born April 25, 1949, in Patras, Greece, the youngest of four sisters, she emigrated to New York City in the 1970s as a penniless Fashion Institute of Technology student and, in short order, took the fashion industry by storm. Her collections were soon fixtures in Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, and Neiman Marcus, with her evening and bridalwear regularly splashed across the pages of Vogue throughout the 1980s. When she was only 30 years old, one of her distinctive gowns was even featured in a major Hollywood motion picture. Her success was a testament to her blazing talent, dauntless determination, and shrewd ambition. Ada went on to spend over three decades creating collection after collection of effortlessly classic clothes, carving out an enduring niche for herself in modern bridalwear with her company White Camellia reaching national and international markets. A hallmark of her design was structured precision mixed with avant-garde whimsy; a white camellia (her trademark) might bloom from the base of a stunningly fitted waistline. Both a visionary and an impeccable craftsperson, she had quick hands and inexhaustible inspiration. A master artist, sewer, and draper, she preferred adroit manipulation of the cloth itself over starting with a sketch. There was nothing she couldn't do with fabric: ruching, pleating, latticework - all such skills were second-nature to her, as natural as breathing. At the pinnacle of her career she started a family, having one daughter, her greatest source of pride. Ada also introduced her Pennsylvania-born nieces to New York City, hosting them for extended periods from the time they were toddlers, allowing them seats at her fashion shows to blow their minds and report back to elementary-school show-and-tells. Ada offered her entire family a home-base in the center of New York City for as long as she lived there which went onto to shape their lives significantly. Ada's powerful personality left an indelible impression on all she touched, sometimes literally with a tender jab in the arm if you made her laugh. She was a keen purveyor of the knowing glance to hilarious effect, and her comic flashes of withering social commentary turned a casual dinner or stroll across town into the most entertaining evening you were likely to have all week. Upon retirement, Ada returned to Germany and Greece to live with her sister, a retired aerospace engineer. She later settled in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania to spend her remaining years with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. She loved reading, socializing, volunteering, and exercising. She practiced yoga and was a blackbelt in karate. Ada is deeply mourned and missed by her surviving family including her loving daughter, Ada Moritz-Chapelliquen and son-in-law, Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen, her grandson, Miles Moritz-Chapelliquen, her dear sisters, Alexandra Athanasiou, Sicily Masciotti and brother-in-law, Louis Masciotti, and her adoring nieces, Alexandra Masciotti and Christina Masciotti. She was predeceased by a sister, Katerina Athanassiou. Private arrangements are under the direction of the Strunk Funeral Home, Inc., Wilson Borough. Offer online condolences at www.strunkfh.com. In keeping with her love for animals, please consider a memorial gift to The Center for Animal Health & Welfare, 1165 Island Park Road, Easton, PA 18042. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Ada Athanassiou, please visit our Tree Store.