Sophia Samusevich Ceppos

Sophia Samusevich Ceppos, 100, of Raleigh, NC passed away May 8th, 2023 at Hillcrest Raleigh Nursing Home & Rehabilitation Center.

Sophia was born April 1, 1923 in Joliet, IL to the late Fyodor (Peter) and Paraska (Pearl) Samusevich. Surviving are her son Larry A. Ceppos and wife Patti, of Seven Lakes; son Sanford P. Ceppos and partner Courtney Ward, of Raleigh; grandchildren, Laura Ceppos, Karin Ceppos, Rachel Scallan, Jaimie Francis, Daniel Ceppos, Matt Jones and Sara Ceppos; and twelve great grandchildren. In addition to her parents, Sophia was preceded in death by her ex-husband Melvin Ceppos and her siblings, Ruby Jackson, Pete Samusevich, and Alex Samusevich.

Sophia’s father died when she was very young, and she and her 3 older siblings helped her mother run a small grocery store. As a young woman, she bravely left all she knew behind to move to Washington DC and marry a man she barely knew. She became a wife and a mother, co-entrepreneur, and homemaker. She made so many friends and fully embraced her life choices. Then she again took the road less traveled and loved herself enough to leave a marriage that no longer honored her. In her 40’s she became a “career woman”, combining a love of golf and payroll and even uprooted her life to work for PGA in FL until a gator greeted her at her front door one day - and back to MD she went. She was a championship golfer and tennis player, and a fierce competitor in any game. She became a grandmother and who could have done it better? She carved out time for 1:1 weekends with each grandchild. She made food that will never be rivaled. She gave her grandchildren exposure to culture in the arts via the museums, parks, and theaters in the DC area. At 80 years old, after losing so many of her friends and feeling ready for something new, she moved to NC. She learned to navigate a new city, make new (younger) friends, and mastered using the internet. She became a great grandmother of 12! She finally gave up living on her own and driving at 93 and begrudgingly let others care for her since. At 100, with end stage dementia, she still had humor and kindness in abundance. For all those who knew Sophia, they would surely agree that these words describe her: love, courage, kindness, independence, forgiveness, food, and laughter. She lived a very full life in her 100 years, touching so many lives.

A private celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Alzheimer's Association in Sophia’s memory.

How should we remember Sophia? By enjoying “a little something sweet” and hugging your loved ones tight.

You can view some pictures of Sophia over the years here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/7EB6MdErDuayQH1x6