Heart attack suspected in crash

By Christine Armario
christine.armario@newsday.com

The 87-year-old Garden City woman killed on her way to visit her grandchildren in Lloyd Harbor this weekend may have suffered a heart attack or another medical condition before crashing into a tree, Suffolk police and relatives said yesterday.

Maria Boulukos, a Greek native who was so active she still went to the gym three or four times a week, was just a block from her son's home when she crashed her 2003 Mercedes-Benz on West Neck Road at about 3:20 p.m. Saturday, police and family said. She was taken to Huntington Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

While the accident is still under investigation, Boulukos' family said she probably suffered a heart attack before the crash. Police said the cause has not been determined, but acknowledged that it could be medical. Her car was impounded for a safety check.

Boulukos' relatives said she immigrated from a small town outside of Sparta in 1946 when she married her husband, Angelo Boulukos. The couple worked side by side for many years at their business, The Terminal Luncheonette, in Garden City, family said.

"Everybody loved her," said her son, Peter Boulukos. "She never said a bad word about anybody."

Well into her 80s, Maria Boulukos remained sharp, reading avidly and even visiting a niece in Los Angeles. This weekend, she was planning on spending time with her three grown grandchildren, in for the long weekend from their jobs in the city.

"She felt good that day and was looking forward to coming to see her grandchildren," Peter Boulukos said.

A wake for Maria Boulukos will be held tomorrow at the Fairchild Funeral Home in Garden City from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral will take place at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Hempstead at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Winthrop-University Hospital in her name.