1937
Kosta
2025
Kosta Nika
June 8, 1937 — June 3, 2025
Kosta Nika departed this Earthly life on June 3, 2025, surrounded by his family. A devoted husband, father, family man, friend and physician. He lived a life defined by a strive for excellence and dedication, setting a high standard for everyone else to follow.
Born on June 29, 1937, Kosta was the youngest of three siblings. When Kosta was about eight months old, his father left the country to return to the U.S. early in the year. He planned to have his wife and children join him in America during the summertime, with the intention of letting them grow a little older and stronger before enduring the long journey across the Atlantic, and hoping they would have smoother travels than his own during the winter months, as the waters would be calmer and the weather would not be as harsh.
Unfortunately, soon after he left, World War II began, and his family couldn’t leave, as transatlantic travel stopped. Immediately after the war, the communist regime took power interrupting all diplomatic relations to the United States, and forbade them from leaving the country until 1991, when the regime fell. Unfortunately, Kosta, his mother and his two sisters never got to see their father again, as he passed away in the U.S., always heeding the fate of his family, unknowing of their conditions and contentment.
Although his father’s physical presence was absent, Kosta constantly strived to honor his father’s memory, living a devoted Christian life and leaving an immaculate legacy before departing from this Earth and into the next life. The communist regime persecuted Kosta and his family for their relationship with America. Nevertheless, he shined in school and was easily known as the best student in the city. Kosta was ranked top of his class from elementary school to middle school, and all throughout his higher university education. Because of his stellar performance, he was presented with the right to study medicine and graduated in 1960 as one of the very top students in his class. Through his hard work, compassion, and dedication, he was able to accomplish many outstanding professional results.
Kosta was a natural leader. From a young age, he was appointed the speaker for the entire student body of Gjirokaster. Following this, at the young age of 23 years old, he became the Chief of Healthcare services for the city of Saranda. Within three years of his position there, he was able to eradicate the Malaria endemic from an area that carried over 50% of cases in the entire country. This was no easy accomplishment; many had tried and failed to resolve malaria cases in this area before him. But the campaign Kosta organized swiftly and efficiently was able to annihilate the disease for good. He also opened and established the organized medical service of the first nursing school for the district of Saranda, as well as the first ever ophthalmology clinic in the city of Durres, where he treated over 500,000 patients and performed over 10,000 major surgical interventions. Furthermore, among his innumerable successful surgeries, in 1967 he performed the first innovative, successful reconstructive (transplant) plastic surgery of the upper and lower eyelids and eyebrows of a patient with 3rd degree facial burns. In addition, he voluntarily went to every school in the city of Durres and screened all children of ages 3-7 years old for refractive errors, successfully identifying and treating over 4,000 children. Further, he set the guidelines for early detection and treatment of strabismus and prevention of vision loss in young children.
As a result of achieving such incredible technical talents and medical services, Kosta was able to bring hope to countless amount of people, who prior to his work, had no one to turn to for their healthcare needs. And this was the entire essence of Kosta’s driving force: to give hope and optimism to all. Per request of the central government, he created and established the guidelines for the identification, classification and management of patients with ocular disabilities for the entire country. For his achievements, he was honored by both the local and central government of the country, with some of the highest professional titles.
Although his work statistics are incredibly impressive, those numbers don’t even begin to describe the love he had for what he did and the people around him. Above all, he was very much loved and highly respected by the people whom he served and by his colleagues for his care, contribution, knowledge and expertise. Kosta described himself first and foremost as a caregiver, extending his kindness to everyone. One of the ways he expressed this was through his Christian identity, keeping his love for Christ at the center of everything he did. It was the support of all the community he had with him that impowered his life journey and made him the man he was until his last day on Earth. Through his actions, he helped his family inherit the faith of God. With that, even on the day he changed lives into heaven, our family’s pain was softened knowing that he is with God in a better place, and we will see him again. Kosta will always be guiding us, and lives in our hearts eternally.
Aside from his career, he had many personal hobbies such as sports, music and walks in nature, with his main hobby being poetry. He was a beautiful poet, publishing a number of poetry books. He also loved painting natural landscapes and beautiful portraits of those he loved. Above everything else, garnering our endlessly indebted gratitude, he loved his family, and he worked incessantly to teach his children and grandchildren, even on his last day, to believe in God, work hard in life, and help others in need.
He is survived by his wife, his older sister, his two sons, his daughters-in-law, and his three grandchildren who love and respect him very much to even fully describe into words. His transcendent love will forever be with us, and we will all strive to project his compassion and legacy forward in our lives.
Service at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 108 North 5th Street, Rockford, IL, with visitation from 10 a.m. to service time. Burial in Greenwood Cemetery. Arrangements by Delehanty Funeral Home, 401 River Lane, Loves Park, IL.
Born on June 29, 1937, Kosta was the youngest of three siblings. When Kosta was about eight months old, his father left the country to return to the U.S. early in the year. He planned to have his wife and children join him in America during the summertime, with the intention of letting them grow a little older and stronger before enduring the long journey across the Atlantic, and hoping they would have smoother travels than his own during the winter months, as the waters would be calmer and the weather would not be as harsh.
Unfortunately, soon after he left, World War II began, and his family couldn’t leave, as transatlantic travel stopped. Immediately after the war, the communist regime took power interrupting all diplomatic relations to the United States, and forbade them from leaving the country until 1991, when the regime fell. Unfortunately, Kosta, his mother and his two sisters never got to see their father again, as he passed away in the U.S., always heeding the fate of his family, unknowing of their conditions and contentment.
Although his father’s physical presence was absent, Kosta constantly strived to honor his father’s memory, living a devoted Christian life and leaving an immaculate legacy before departing from this Earth and into the next life. The communist regime persecuted Kosta and his family for their relationship with America. Nevertheless, he shined in school and was easily known as the best student in the city. Kosta was ranked top of his class from elementary school to middle school, and all throughout his higher university education. Because of his stellar performance, he was presented with the right to study medicine and graduated in 1960 as one of the very top students in his class. Through his hard work, compassion, and dedication, he was able to accomplish many outstanding professional results.
Kosta was a natural leader. From a young age, he was appointed the speaker for the entire student body of Gjirokaster. Following this, at the young age of 23 years old, he became the Chief of Healthcare services for the city of Saranda. Within three years of his position there, he was able to eradicate the Malaria endemic from an area that carried over 50% of cases in the entire country. This was no easy accomplishment; many had tried and failed to resolve malaria cases in this area before him. But the campaign Kosta organized swiftly and efficiently was able to annihilate the disease for good. He also opened and established the organized medical service of the first nursing school for the district of Saranda, as well as the first ever ophthalmology clinic in the city of Durres, where he treated over 500,000 patients and performed over 10,000 major surgical interventions. Furthermore, among his innumerable successful surgeries, in 1967 he performed the first innovative, successful reconstructive (transplant) plastic surgery of the upper and lower eyelids and eyebrows of a patient with 3rd degree facial burns. In addition, he voluntarily went to every school in the city of Durres and screened all children of ages 3-7 years old for refractive errors, successfully identifying and treating over 4,000 children. Further, he set the guidelines for early detection and treatment of strabismus and prevention of vision loss in young children.
As a result of achieving such incredible technical talents and medical services, Kosta was able to bring hope to countless amount of people, who prior to his work, had no one to turn to for their healthcare needs. And this was the entire essence of Kosta’s driving force: to give hope and optimism to all. Per request of the central government, he created and established the guidelines for the identification, classification and management of patients with ocular disabilities for the entire country. For his achievements, he was honored by both the local and central government of the country, with some of the highest professional titles.
Although his work statistics are incredibly impressive, those numbers don’t even begin to describe the love he had for what he did and the people around him. Above all, he was very much loved and highly respected by the people whom he served and by his colleagues for his care, contribution, knowledge and expertise. Kosta described himself first and foremost as a caregiver, extending his kindness to everyone. One of the ways he expressed this was through his Christian identity, keeping his love for Christ at the center of everything he did. It was the support of all the community he had with him that impowered his life journey and made him the man he was until his last day on Earth. Through his actions, he helped his family inherit the faith of God. With that, even on the day he changed lives into heaven, our family’s pain was softened knowing that he is with God in a better place, and we will see him again. Kosta will always be guiding us, and lives in our hearts eternally.
Aside from his career, he had many personal hobbies such as sports, music and walks in nature, with his main hobby being poetry. He was a beautiful poet, publishing a number of poetry books. He also loved painting natural landscapes and beautiful portraits of those he loved. Above everything else, garnering our endlessly indebted gratitude, he loved his family, and he worked incessantly to teach his children and grandchildren, even on his last day, to believe in God, work hard in life, and help others in need.
He is survived by his wife, his older sister, his two sons, his daughters-in-law, and his three grandchildren who love and respect him very much to even fully describe into words. His transcendent love will forever be with us, and we will all strive to project his compassion and legacy forward in our lives.
Service at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 108 North 5th Street, Rockford, IL, with visitation from 10 a.m. to service time. Burial in Greenwood Cemetery. Arrangements by Delehanty Funeral Home, 401 River Lane, Loves Park, IL.
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Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
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Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
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Greenwood Cemetery
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