Nectarios Papanicolaou (Necta) died tragically in a motorbike accident that occurred in Sydney on Saturday 16th April 2022.
The 34-year-old father of two was on his way home from work when tragedy hit.
“It is hard to come to terms with the fact that our son has left us. We are broken, we are numb. There are no words to properly describe the confusion and the disbelief,” Necta’s parents told Neos Kosmos.
Necta’s mother Yiota migrated to Australia from Cyprus, while his father George, who was born in Australia comes from a long line of butchers from the island of Rhodes.
The 34-year-old butcher was the eldest son of the Papanicolaou family.
After completing his studies at All Saints Grammar, Hurstville Boys and Oatley Campus. Necta decided to follow in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps and work in the family business as a butcher.
“In his 34 years, our son spread a lot of joy, and knew how to make people smile. When his death was announced to the community, hundreds of people responded with their own stories of Necta. They called him the man with the world’s biggest smile, the playful joker with a great sense of humour, the beautiful soul who lit up the room with his positive energy and infectious laugh. He was the true definition of a ‘people person’, someone who loved being surrounded by others, and who felt most alive when he was talking to people, listening to them, hearing their stories and sharing a laugh. When it came to the family business, there was no such thing as customers for the young father of two who was first and foremost a family man.”
SECOND CHANCE IN LIFE
The Papanicolaou family revealed that they had almost lost their first-born child many years ago when at the age of two, the then young toddler had fallen from the top-level balcony onto the grass as he was playing with his cousins.
“One minute he was there, the next, he was gone but when we rushed downstairs expecting the worst, we saw our little Necta walking towards the front door with not even a scratch on him. He wasn’t even crying and now I wonder whether God wanted to take him right there and then, but decided to let him live a little longer, so that he could spread joy and make people smile.
“While we are experiencing this unimaginable pain, we are also thankful that he wasn’t taken from us all those years ago, when he fell from the balcony,” said Necta’s mother Yiota.
As a son, Necta was present and loving. He enjoyed spending quality time with his mother cooking and cleaning with her, hanging with her at home or taking her out for a meal always reminding her how much he loved her.
The young man was also never shy to express his love for his father George. ‘I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for you,’ he would say. ‘Love you, Dad.’
As a brother, Necta was supportive and caring. He’d speak of his three younger siblings, Michael, Dion and Michelle with pride, sharing their achievements and celebrating their successes as if they were his own. His siblings were proud of him, too.
A FAMILY MAN
The young Greek Australian was married to Krissy, who he referred to as the love of his life.
Together the couple had two children, five-year-old Paris, and 18-month-old George.
Necta made Krissy feel like the luckiest woman in the world, always managing to put a smile on her face, even when things felt unbearably hard. Together, they had to find the strength to stay hopeful and faithful that everything would be okay when their young daughter Paris had to be hospitalised and operated. Through all the operations and all of the hospital visits, Necta remained positive.
“Even when the doctors prepared them for the worst, Necta truly believed that she would flourish. Anyone who saw the way the kids looked at their dad could see they felt the same,” said a family friend.
Necta would say to anyone who’d listen that with two beautiful kids, a beautiful wife and a beautiful home, his life was now complete. He had come through all of the struggles and hard times and had become a hardworking man who showed the commitment to achieve his goals.
Hi family expressed at his eulogy that, “he wasn’t perfect — nobody is. He wasn’t always smiling. He could be stubborn and moody. And like all of us, he made mistakes. But he was a good man who did good things for his family, his friends and his community. He knew what was important in life, and we’re proud of who he was.
“We feel deep gratitude for the times we had with him. We thank him for the laughs and for the smiles. We thank him for the memories and the moments he made special. We thank him for showing us pure love. And we thank him for leaving us his two beautiful children— two human beings who we will love and hold tight.
“He left a huge hole in our hearts that can never be filled. We will never forget him.”
Necta’s family and friends are trying to raise money to support the family through a go fund me page. Click here if you wish to donate: www.gofundme.com