Passed away peacefully after a brief illness, with Mike by her side, on Sunday, August 2nd. Sophie is survived by her loving husband Mike Saunders and their kitties, Shalom and Sweet Pea. She is predeceased by mother Argyro Koutroulakis but survived by father Antonio Koutroulakis; siblings Constantine (Ionna), Sotirios and Peter Koutroulakis, and her nephew Anthony; in laws Dave (Susie) Saunders, Christian Saunders, Kelli Saunders (Kevin Keith), Rory Keith and Connor Keith as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. Sophie was a proud member of the Niagara Area Business Women's Network (NABWN) since 1992 and was a recipient of The Networker of the Year Award. She was instrumental in setting up bursaries to be given to Brock and Niagara College female business students. Sophie promoted the philosophy of NABWN to network and promote each other's businesses. She was always organizing lunches to network with members and asking 'How can I help you?'. Sophie was extremely appreciative of NABWN and how it brought her out of her shell to the point she even made a presentation in Austin, Texas about her business. Sophie was also a proud member of the May Court Club of St. Catharines for the last 4 years and made a powerful impact bringing her intelligence and good humour to projects and meetings. She served on the board for two years as secretary and was a spirited MC at the auction "funraisers" Sophie was a longstanding member of The Niagara District Council of Women (NDCW) and past secretary, and a previous member of the Zonta Club of St. Catharines. One of Sophie's main passions was her volunteer work at Gillian's Place in St. Catharines. Sophie always expressed to all her friends how grateful she was to have Mike in her life and how very much she loved him for his caring, kind nature. Sophie was a very private and refined lady, known for her kindness and endless hours of volunteer and community work. Visitation will take place on Sunday, August 9th, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm., at Bocchinfuso Funeral Home, 2 Regent Street, Thorold. As per the Province of Ontario COVID regulations - visitation attendance is limited to 30% building capacity. Attendance will be monitored to maintain capacity and social distancing for the health and safety of our staff and guests. All guests attending the visitation must bring and wear a mask. In memory of Sophie, donations may be made to Gillian's Place or Niagara Action For Animals. Special thanks to Denise, Norma, Kathy, Lisa and Mary for all their love and support.
