STATEN ISLAND – In an emotional atmosphere dominated pride, a ceremony was held on Saturday, September 12, to rename the street in front of the Church of Holy Trinity/St. Nicholas on Staten Island George Karidis Way, paying tribute to his memory.
George Karidis passed away on May 10, 2025, at the age of 74, after a years-long battle with cancer related to his service in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
The event began with a memorial service conducted by the presiding priest of the church, Fr. Vasileios Apostolidis, and the two former presiding priests of the parish, Fr. Nicholas Anctil and Fr. Nicholas Petropoulakos.
Speeches followed by Minority Leader of the New York City Council, David Carr, the priests, and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who spoke extensively about the personality, character, and work of George Karidis, emphasizing his enduring contribution and the deep ties that connected him with the area and the parish.
The renaming, they said, had been a longstanding request of the members of the church and the local community, as a small token of recognition of the course of his life and the legacy he left behind.
The memorial service conducted by the priests Fr. Vasileios Apostolidis, Fr. Nicholas Anctil, and Fr. Nicholas Petropoulakos. (Photo: The National Herald/Michael Kakias
Immediately afterward, an honorary plaque was presented to Panagiota Karidis, widow of George Karidis, by the Office of the Staten Island District Attorney.
The ceremony reached its culmination with the unveiling of the new street sign.
Panagiota Karidis expressed, through The National Herald the family’s deep emotions over the event and thanked everyone for their presence.
“The fact that this street, in front of the church that my husband loved and served so much, now bears his name, is a blessing for his soul. He was a man of deep faith who went through life with love and service toward his fellow man.”
She noted that, “after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, George, then an engineer with Con Edison, reported to Ground Zero, where he spent seven weeks helping its personnel. In 2016, during treatment for a heart attack, doctors discovered that he had stage 3 renal cell carcinoma. A biopsy later confirmed that the cancer was directly linked to his exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero. He fought the illness courageously for nearly a decade until his death in 2025.”