Thalia Sempeles Becak

Thalia Sempeles Becak passed away on September 23, 2026 at the age of 82. She was a resident of Chapel Hill, NC for 20 years. Born in Dayton, Ohio to Harry and Mary Nikides in 1943, Thalia had three siblings, Stergios, Lea, and Joanne. Her father was a furrier from Kastoria, Greece, and her mother, whose parents had emigrated from Greece, was a schoolteacher.

Thalia graduated from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, majoring in linguistics. A highlight of her college life was meeting the famous actor Ed Begley Sr. Thalia was passionate about English and drama leading her to become a teacher of both subjects for middle and high school students. While in her thirties, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) a disorder which intermittently interfered with her pursuit of teaching, but her “can do” spirit repeatedly overcame the setbacks she experienced.

In 1969 she married Nick Sempeles, settled with him in Winchester, Virginia, taught at John Handley High School, ran a Carvel ice cream store, and together with Nick, had two sons, John and Harry who were the lights of her life.

She moved to Palm Beach, Florida with her two sons after her divorce, and set up housekeeping with her sister, Joanne. While there she helped With Joanne’s Trade Center business and also substitute taught. When she could no longer teach due to MS, she took a very active role in her community, dedicating herself as a leader in the MS Society and Goodwill organizations. She also took a leadership role with the Friends of the Library in Palm Springs, FL, organizing events and benefits, including procurement of the famous author James Patterson, to speak at a luncheon.

In 1992, she remarried to Robert Becak who also suffered from multiple sclerosis. Her exuberant spirit led Thalia and Bob to travel on Caribbean cruises and to make friends wherever they found themselves.

In 2006 she and Bob moved to Chapel Hill to be closer to her two sisters, Joanne and Lea, and to escape the hurricanes of Florida as well as to live where she could enjoy the fall foliage.

Thalia was widowed in 2010. The years since then were filled with joyous times with family, especially with her sons, John and Harry, and grandchildren, Joseph, Ben, Arianna, and Zoe, who she loved with all her heart. She travelled with both of her sons to Greece for the first time, going to Athens, then to her father’s hometown of Kastoria reuniting with many distant relatives and seeing the family home. With John and his wife Katherine, she later travelled throughout Europe, once again journeying to Kastoria where she visited her father’s family. By chance while in Europe, she attended a public address by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, and in Ireland, fell in love with everything Irish.

Thalia is survived by her sons, John and Harry Sempeles, their wives, Katherine Sempeles and Vicky Sempeles, her granddaughters, Arianna and Zoe (John and Katherine), and grandsons, Joseph and Ben (Harry and Vicky),her sister Lea OQuinn, brother-in-law, Doyle Graham, sister-in-law, Gloria Nikides, many nieces and nephews, her stepdaughter Dawn Davidson and special friends like Linda Hemphill, Nancy Ball, and her dear neighbors in Chapel Hill (Kathy McGuirl and Diane Shull).

Visitation and services are scheduled from 2pm-4pm Saturday Sept 26 at Hall-Wynne Funeral Home in Durham, NC, followed by a celebration of life dinner at a location in Durham to be provided. Donations can be made in Thalia’s name to St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Durham.