Nicholas Behiri

Born November 18th 1932 in Rizokarpaso, Cyprus

Passed peacefully on March 18th 2026 in his home after a brief illness.

He was the fifth child born to Yiannis & Eleni, who were farmers and raised their 5 children in a 2 room home in the beautiful seaside peninsula village of ‘Karpasi’.

(Now Turkish occupied— dad’s dream was to return someday to his village in a unified Cyprus)

Nick’s mom passed when he was 12.

And as his siblings left for London; he stayed with his father and eventually became the player/ administrator to the regional Cypriot football team (soccer).

At the age 18 he left Cyprus on a ship with his two friends and headed to London with very little in his pocket.

In London he found work in the restaurant business where he became a beloved waiter at the famed White Tower Restaurant in the west end. Nick’s charisma was contagious.

While at the White Tower, Nick looked after some of the biggest celebrities of the time. He would share stories of the Beatles, prince Phillip & Elizabeth Taylor to name a few.

He was introduced to his future wife Eleni by his sister in law and after an immediate connection and short courtship they married. John was born followed by Fotoulla. They were surrounded by Nick’s aunts, uncles and cousins, building the next generation of the family together.

In August 1972 the Schenectady chapter of their life began.

Nick, Eleni, John & Fotoulla left London and moved to Rotterdam NY to join Eleni’s siblings and build the American dream.

Nick became partners with his brother-in-law, Andreas, in the ownership of Top’s Diner. For decades he greeted members of this community always with a smile and became known to all as “uncle Nick”.

You see - Nick took care of people. He was always the first to celebrate and bring the family together. He loved his family, his cousins in London, Cyprus and America.

Nick nurtured these relationships - never letting distance get in the way.

He also loved and nurtured his garden with great care. The summers were filled with Nick tending to his tomatoes and vegetables and delivering the produce to friends and family.

Nick attacked life with a gregarious nature. He could always be found on the sidelines of John’s soccer games - passionately yelling/ cheering on Monohason. The same could be said while watching his beloved Chelsea play.

In his retired years he relished visiting Boston to see David & Fotoulla and his grandchildren - Ellie, Alex, & Nicholas.

He was always front row when attending their school plays and cheering them on in sports.

His love for his grandchildren was so strong that they were able to convince him to become a Red Sox, Celtics & Patriots fan. Certainly controversial when he would return home to Rotterdam.

His 4th grandkid; Zoey (the dog) was his trusted companion and best walking buddy. On his daily walks around Colonial Manor, they would make pit stops to visit with his brother and sister in law Yiota and Andreas. Zoe kept Nick moving nearly to the very end.

As his cousin and godbrother Paul said, “Nick was a village boy who never left the village. He was the same, humble person in the Village as he was in his adult and later years as a successful business owner and family man… until the end.”

He is predeceased by: Brother George, Chris, Sisters Maria, Christina and his nephew Andro.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years Eleni, son John, Daughter Fotoulla and son in law David, his grandchildren Elena, Alex, & Nicholas. As well as many beloved cousins, nieces & nephews in the US, London, & Cyprus.

If you would like to honor Nicholas, Memorial Donations may be made in his name to: St George Greek Orthodox Church, Schenectady NY

Call 518-393-0742 or Make a Donation online: https://onrealm.org/STGEORGEGREEKOR91825/-/form/give/Stewardship