Vicky Knoedler

Middleton:  Vicky Tzoumerka Knoedler, age 80, passed away suddenly in the early hours of 4/20/2022 at her home in the presence of her husband Bill.  She was born on 11/02/1941 in Athens, Greece, the daughter of Konstantinos and Kyriaki Tzoumerka.

When Vicky was six, her father started teaching her ballroom dances.  At eight, she began taking ballet and character dance, Greek folk dance, and piano.  Her prodigious artistic talents, including multi-octave singing voice, were recognized at an early age.

Vicky attended college in Athens and graduated with a degree in psychology at the age of 18. She also studied voice and obtained a baccalaureate in French Literature.  She also studied at the Scholi Xenogon and became a licensed international archeological tour guide, leading tours in Greece and in Europe. During Vicky’s tours and travels around Greece, she attended folk festivals where she learned new Greek folk dances.  In addition to her native Greek, she was fluent in 3 languages, French, English and Spanish and also acquired conversational ability in German and Turkish.  She developed a deep knowledge of Greek mythology, archeology and history, and acquired a reputation for her engrossing tellings of the Greek myths during her tours. She was frequently asked by the Greek Tourism Organization to give private tours to heads of state and other prominent visitors.

She fell in love with Bill Knoedler who was taking one of her archeological tours. One year later, she moved to Madison to be with him and in June 1974 married him.  She sacrificed much to leave the country she treasured and the career she loved, but never regretted her decision or looked back.  She always said she did it for love.

In Madison, she immediately reinvolved herself in music and the arts.  She studied ballet and resumed her studies in voice and piano.  In addition to playing piano, she later took classes in violin and cello.

In the 1980’s, she studied music composition and began creating musical works that have been professionally performed in the United States, Italy and Greece.  In more recent years, she composed music based on Greek mythology that have been choreographed and performed by Kanopy Dance Company.

With her striking smoky contralto voice, she gave many vocal performances over the years.  She performed in many languages and genres.

More importantly for Vicky and her emotional sustenance away from Greece, 47 years ago she founded the Mesoghios Dance Troupe to perform Greek folk dances.  Thirty years ago, she helped organize the International Festival at the Madison Overture Center:  Mesoghios continues to perform in the Festival, and at the time of her death, she was preparing music and dances for the 2023 festival.  In 2015, the Wisconsin Dance Council honored her with a lifetime achievement award for her work in dance.

In 1975-1985, she owned Bouboulina Greek Art on State St. where she sold folk art objects she had personally imported from Greece, and she learned to make jewelry based on Greek folk designs.

She had a great love of animals and nature. She refused to move to the United States in 1973 unless Bill agreed to accept her two pet cats.  With that settled, she had a household full of pets including cats, dogs and parrots. It was always hard for her to resist the urge to take in unwanted animals. In 1980, she and Bill built a home in rural Middleton, designed by Vicky. They have kept the land wooded and dedicated to the needs of wild creatures.  In the last 10 years, because of her physical disabilities, she shifted all the care to Bill.

Vicky was born with a huge spirit full of love and generosity and knew nothing but to give to others. This, combined with her abundant talents and incredible physical beauty, made her a force of nature.  Throughout her life, she touched the hearts of many and even to the end of her life, was making new friends. She had many friends in the performing arts, including scores who had been members of her dance troupe, but also in other walks of life.  Many of these considered her a mentor and a wise person who could help them deal with their own struggles. She was constantly on the phone supporting and joking with them.

She suffered a back injury 10 years ago, which left her in daily, constant pain and confined to lying on the living room sofa.  She required a walker to ambulate, and out of her home, she required a wheelchair.  She was frustrated and sometimes demoralized by the restrictions this caused. She was not depressed and always remained positive. She continued to attend rehearsals of her dance troupe. In the past few years, she began learning Russian. She maintained her dress and personal care and continued to look vibrant and beautiful.  She remained a support and source of wise counsel for her friends, minimizing her own pain and focusing on their needs.

Vicky was God’s great gift to those who knew her and to those whom her music and dance reached. Though sad with her loss, we must keep in mind her ever-present model of love, joy and hope and her perseverance in the face of adversity. We can only be thankful that we knew and were touched by her.

She is survived by her husband William Knoedler, sister Efstathia Fostiropoulou, and nephew Konstantinos Fostiropoulos and preceded in death by her father Konstantinos and mother Kyriaki Tzoumerka and her nephew George Fostiropoulos.

A memorial gathering to celebrate her life will be held at the Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 Co. Hwy M, Middleton, WI on Sunday June 5th at 1:00 p.m.  Donations in her name can be sent to ASPCA, World Wildlife Fund, or Doctors Without Borders.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

Cress Center

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