BY JACOB KAYE
A handful of business leaders
in Astoria came together
to gift the neighborhood with
a Christmas tree just in time
for the holidays.
On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the
Athens Square Tree Committee,
comprised of Gus Lambropoulos,
Elias Fillas, Tonino
Sacco, Gus Antonopoulos,
Luca Di Ciero, Kirk Karabela
and Andrew Latos, were
joined by the community for
the lighting of a 30-foot Norway
Spruce in Athens Square
Park.
Around 100 attendees, all of
whom were checked for a fever
and told to keep social distance,
saw the lighting of the festive
tree, the tallest to be installed
in the neighborhood.
The tree, donated by local
businesses and business
leaders Gus and Maria Lambropoulos,
Sacco & Fillas,
The Rock Health and Fitness,
NYSpace Finders, Alma Bank
and Farenga Funeral Homes
was designed to be both a destination
for the community
as well as a way to bolster local
businesses hurt by nearly
nine months of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The spruce will continue to
shine until Jan. 20.
“We are already looking to
next year,” said Fillas, of Sacco
& Fillas, LLP. “It’s going to
be like Rockefeller Center, but
in the heart of Queens.”
Additional reporting by
Dean Moses.
Photo courtesy of St. John’s Medical Group
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.26 COM | DEC. 11-DEC. 17, 2020
A Christmas tree lighting ceremony was held in Athens Square Park on Dec. 2, 2020.
Photo by Dean Moses
OBITUARY
A beloved sister, aunt,
grand aunt and great
grand aunt, Reverend
Jean Slockbower of
the Church of the Four Leaf
Clover in Hempstead, NY,
passed away peacefully at
home on Dec. 2, 2020.
A longtime resident of
Flushing and most recently
Hopewell Junction, Reverend
Jean was a faithful
employee of Con Edison for
over 40 years, following in
her father’s footsteps, and
a weekly volunteer at St.
Mary’s Healthcare Services
for Children in Bayside.
It is believed that her
love of adventure left her
bucket list with no entry unchecked.
Reverend Jean was a truly
loving spirit — loved by
all who knew her — and was
dedicated to her family and
congregation.
The eldest of four, she is
survived by her sister, Mary
Lou Heathcote of Spring
Hill, Florida; her sister-inlaw,
Roberta Slockbower
of Highland Mills, NY; her
nephew Scott MacConnell
(and wife, Debbie) of Beverly
Hills, Florida; her nephew
Mark MacConnell (and wife,
Leslie) of Hopewell Junction,
NY; her niece, Tracy MacConnell
of Spring Hill, Florida;
her nephew Ken Slockbower
(and wife, Joanne) of Scottsdale,
Arizona; her nephew
Ted Slockbower (and wife,
Evelyn) of Mahwah, NJ; two
grand nephews, Michael (and
wife, Bailey) and Matthew;
and three grand nieces, Lauren
(and husband Taylor),
Sierra, and Naomi; two great
grand nephews, Michael and
Liam; and one great grand
niece, Kallie.
Her kindness and selflessness
will forever live in our
hearts. Arrangements under
the direction of McHoul Funeral
Home, Inc., Hopewell
Junction.
Please visit Jean’s Book of
Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.
com.
BY QNS STAFF
St. John’s Medical Group
will expand its health care offerings
in the Rockaways with
the opening of a new outpatient
medical practice in Rockaway
Park this month.
The new facility, located at
105-38 Rockaway Beach Blvd.
offers community members outpatient
medical care and will
open in three phases.
On Thursday Dec. 3, the facility’s
official opening, the practice
will begin offering adult
and pediatric dermatology,
adult endocrinology, behavioral
health care and primary care.
In spring 2021, the facility
will add cardiology, general
surgery, neurology, additional
primary care and vascular surgery
to its list of services.
In the fall of 2021, the medical
practice will add the Margaret
O. Carpenter Women’s Health
Center and add 3-D mammography,
breast surgery, gynecology/
oncology, imaging, maternal
fetal medicine, nutrition,
OB-GYN and urogynecology to
its repertoire.
The new practice will be
staffed by a host of new staff,
including primary care clinicians
Dr. Vladislav Chernyshenko,
Dr. Yating Lee and Nurse
Practitioner Victoria Backus,
pediatric and adult dermatologist
Dr. Louis Siegel; adult endocrinologist
Dr. Sophia Galustian;
and social worker Jamie
Svenson.
Dr. Sharon Koehler, a breast
surgeon, will join the practice
in January when the practice
begins offering breast surgery.
Athens Square
Park hosts tree
lighting ceremony
St. John’s Medical Group opens
new practice in Rockaway Park
REVEREND JEAN
SLOCKBOWER
/www.mchoulfu-neralhome.com
/www.mchoulfu-neralhome.com
/www.mchoulfu-neralhome.com
