NEW YORK – Last Sunday, October 8 in the evening Dimitrios and Anastasia Ramoundos with their sons Peter (Panagiotis) and Jack together with sister-in-law and aunt Betty Kalogrides decided to visit St. Thomas Greek Festival in Cherry Hill, New Jersey by car to spend few happy hours with friends, Greek music and good food. But they never reached their destination alive.
Just before 5:00 p.m. as their car was crossing the intersection of Sicklerville Road and Dunlin Way a tan Toyota Camry hit Peter’s blue Toyota Camry head-on. The driver of the tan car identified as 53-year-old Richard Mason of Wilson Drive in Winslow Township, died instantly. The driver of the blue
car, was also killed instantly. He was identified as 43-year-old Panagioti Ramoundos, who also lived on Wilson Drive in Winslow Township.
The two passengers in Ramoundos’ car were fatally hurt. They are identified as his 80-year-old mother Anastasia Ramoundos of the Kalogridis family and his 77-year-old father Demetrios Ramoundos, both of Wilson Drive. Both were transferred to the hospital but succumbed to their injuries a few hours later.
Peter’s brother Jack Kalogridis, 59-years-old, and his aunt Betty Kalogridis 74-years old were seriously injured. Both they remain hospitalized and in serious condition.
The cause of the accident still remains unclear, as the investigation is not yet completed by the police. “It was a head-on collision. I’m not able to release yet which vehicle crossed the road,” stated Chief Harry Earle to local news reporters when they inquired about the deadly crash.
The unexpected death of their parents and their brother saddened deeply brothers Theodore Ramoundos and Jack Kalogridis, their aunt Betty Kalogridis and niece Anastasia Kalogridis.
Jack Kalogridis, had come from Florida to attend the funeral of Alex Mastoris, a friend of his, who died on October 2 and was buried on Tuesday, October 9, the 2nd day after the tragic accident, stated George Horiatis president of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox community.
The priest of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, Fr. Christoforos Oikonomidis told the National Herald that this is a tragic and rare event and that the bodies of Demetrios, Anastasia, and Panagiotis Ramoundos will be held for viewing Monday afternoon, October 17 at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, while the funeral will take place Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m.
Maria Rasouli, who works in a bank and was a classmate of the late Panagiotis Ramoundos after she learned about the tragic event opened an account at www.GoFundMe. com and called relatives and friends to offer donations in order to cover the costs of the Ramoundos triple family funerals. Ms. Rassoulis set thirty thousand dollars as a target for donations. In about three days after the opening of the account (https://www.Gofundme.com/friends-of-peter-ramoundos) 208 people responded 20 and the amount reached $27,770.
Ms. Rasouli said that Panagiotis was the only one working in the family and that the family’s finances weren’t flourishing.
And the irony of fate was that both drivers were living on the same road Winslow Township only five blocks away from each other and they had never met before.
