Zenobia Xenakes: The Greek Immigrant Mother Who Shaped Tina Fey’s Comedy

Tina Fey named her daughter Alice Zenobia Richmond — a direct tribute to the woman who built her sense of humor, her work ethic, and her connection to Greek heritage.

That woman was Zenobia Xenakes, a Greek-born immigrant who worked at a Philadelphia brokerage firm, raised two children in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and never once sought public attention. She passed away on July 25, 2024, at the age of 93.

This biography covers her early life, career, family, and the lasting influence she had on one of America’s most successful comedians.

Who Was Zenobia Xenakes? (Quick Facts)

Early Life and Immigration

Birth in Piraeus, Greece

Zenobia Xenakes was born in 1930 in Piraeus, Greece — the port city near Athens. She was the eldest of four children born to Constantine Xenakes and Vasiliki Kourelakou. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was an infant, settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Kourelakou Family’s Journey to America

Zenobia’s mother, Vasiliki Kourelakou, arrived in the United States alone in February 1921. She came from the village of Petrina in Laconia, a rural region in southern Greece. Her father, Constantine, was from the village of Panagia on the island of Ikaria. Both parents brought distinct Greek regional traditions into the household — Laconian storytelling customs from her mother’s side and island community values from her father’s.

Vasiliki’s solo immigration in 1921 was unusual for a Greek woman of that era. She traveled without her husband, established herself in Philadelphia, and later brought the rest of the family together.

Growing Up Greek in Philadelphia

Zenobia grew up in a Greek immigrant household where Orthodox faith, the Greek language, and traditional celebrations were part of daily life. Greek holidays, namedays, and Sunday gatherings structured the family calendar. The neighborhood had a visible Greek-American community with its own churches, businesses, and social networks.

Education

Zenobia attended West Philadelphia High School, which served many children of immigrant families. The school functioned as a bridge between old-world household culture and American professional life — a tension that defined her generation of Greek-Americans.

Career at Janney Montgomery Scott

Entering the Workforce

After high school, Zenobia took a position at Janney Montgomery Scott, a Philadelphia brokerage firm founded in 1832 and one of the oldest financial services companies in the United States. She worked as a brokerage employee — a role that demanded precision, discretion, and financial literacy.

The Move to Boston

In her twenties, Zenobia moved to Boston with a friend. For a young Greek-American woman in the 1950s, this was an unconventional step. She and her roommate lived in a fifth-floor walk-up apartment. Zenobia later joked that they “had the best legs in Boston” from climbing the stairs every day.

This period showed a self-reliance that carried into her parenting. She did not depend on others to build her life — and she expected the same from her children.

Balancing Career and Family Expectations

Mid-20th century American culture pushed women out of professional roles after marriage. Zenobia kept working at Janney Montgomery Scott through much of her adult life, navigating both a professional career and the expectations of a Greek immigrant family that valued traditional roles. She chose family eventually — but only after establishing her professional identity first.

Marriage and Family Life

Marriage to Donald Henry Fey

In 1961, Zenobia married Donald Henry Fey at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Donald worked as a grant writer and university administrator. Over his career, he helped secure approximately $500 million in grant funding for institutions including the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University.

The couple settled in Upper Darby, a Philadelphia suburb with a working-class character and a mixed ethnic population.

Raising Peter and Tina

Zenobia and Donald had two children: Peter Fey, born around 1962, and Elizabeth Stamatina Fey — known to the world as Tina Fey — born on May 18, 1970. The eight-year gap between the two children meant that Zenobia’s parenting experience with Peter and Tina differed significantly. By the time Tina was growing up, Zenobia was an experienced, confident parent with clear methods.

Tina’s middle name, Stamatina, was chosen by Zenobia to preserve a Greek naming tradition. It was a deliberate act of cultural memory — a way to keep heritage alive inside an American name.

The Fey Household: Humor, Scrabble, and Greek Traditions

The Fey home in Upper Darby was loud, food-centered, and organized around Greek traditions. Holiday gatherings were large and open-door — unexpected guests were met with food already on the table.

• Scrabble: Zenobia was a competitive Scrabble player who took word games seriously. She also solved the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle with notable speed.
• Greek Orthodox faith: The family attended St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. Namedays, Easter, and other religious observances were part of the household rhythm.
• Language: Zenobia grew up in a multilingual household (Greek and English) and valued precision in language — a trait Tina Fey would later credit as foundational to her comedy writing.
• Porch glider: On summer evenings, Zenobia sat on her porch glider watching over her tall pink rhododendron. It became one of the defining images of her later life in Upper Darby.

Donald Fey’s Death and the Family Scholarship

Donald Henry Fey died in 2015. After his death, Tina Fey established a scholarship at Temple University — where both her parents had Philadelphia connections — to support war veterans studying journalism. The scholarship honored Donald’s career as a writer and grant professional, and reflected the Fey family’s combined values of education, service, and communication.

How Zenobia Shaped Tina Fey’s Comedy

Humor as a Daily Language

Tina Fey has spoken repeatedly about her mother’s influence on her comedic voice. Zenobia communicated through dry observation, direct statements, and timing — the same tools that define Tina’s writing on Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, and in her memoir Bossypants.

Greek immigrant households often use humor as a practical tool — to manage stress, to deliver criticism without cruelty, and to connect generations that might otherwise struggle to communicate across cultural divides. Zenobia’s version of this was specific: deadpan, unsentimental, and precise.

Tina Fey has described this as the foundation of her approach to comedy. The wit was never performed in the Fey household — it was simply how conversation worked.

Zenobia in Bossypants

Tina Fey’s 2011 memoir Bossypants spent five weeks atop the New York Times Best Seller list and earned a Grammy Award nomination. The book contains multiple anecdotes about Zenobia, portraying her as a practical, unsentimental mother who communicated through action rather than affection.

Readers encountered Zenobia’s personality — her directness, her Scrabble competitiveness, her refusal to coddle — and recognized a type familiar to many immigrant families: the mother who shows love through discipline and preparation rather than praise.

Bossypants introduced Zenobia to a global audience. The book sold over 1 million copies in its first year.

The Liz Lemon Connection: Zenobia’s Influence on 30 Rock

The NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013) featured a character directly inspired by Zenobia: the mother of Liz Lemon, played by Anita Gillette. Tina Fey developed the character using her own mother’s mannerisms, communication style, and sense of humor as the template.

30 Rock received 103 Emmy nominations over its seven-season run, setting a record for a comedy series at the time. Tina Fey won ten Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards across her career.

The Finding Your Roots DNA Revelation

On the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Tina Fey underwent genealogical DNA testing. The results showed her ancestry as 94% European, 3% Middle Eastern, and 3% from the Caucasus — a breakdown that traces primarily through Zenobia’s Greek lineage.

The episode also traced the Xenakes family’s origins to specific locations: Constantine Xenakes’s village of Panagia on the island of Ikaria and Vasiliki Kourelakou’s village of Petrina in Laconia. These details confirmed the regional Greek identity that Zenobia had preserved throughout her life.

Zenobia Xenakes in Pop Culture

Zenobia Xenakes never appeared on television or in any public media. But her personality surfaced repeatedly in her daughter’s work:

• Bossypants (2011): Multiple chapters describe Zenobia’s parenting, humor, and household. The book topped the New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks.
• 30 Rock (2006–2013): The character of Liz Lemon’s mother was modeled directly on Zenobia. Played by Anita Gillette.
• Finding Your Roots (PBS): The DNA ancestry episode traced the Xenakes family’s Greek roots in detail.
• Alice Zenobia Richmond: Tina Fey’s daughter carries Zenobia’s name as a first name — the most visible tribute in the family.
• Mean Girls (2004, 2018, 2024): While not directly about Zenobia, the franchise’s humor about mothers, social dynamics, and female relationships reflects themes Tina Fey has credited to her upbringing.

Later Years and Death

Relocation to New York City

In her later years, Zenobia moved from Upper Darby to New York City to stay close to Tina’s family. She remained active in family life, spending time with her grandchildren and maintaining her Greek traditions.

Within her community, she was known as YiaYia — Greek for grandmother. The title was used not only by her own grandchildren but by members of her broader social circle.

Death (July 25, 2024)

Zenobia Xenakes died on July 25, 2024, at the age of 93. Her death was noted by media outlets covering Tina Fey’s family, and tributes came from the Greek-American community in Philadelphia and from comedy fans who had encountered her personality through Bossypants.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Henry Fey, who died in 2015.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Zenobia Xenakes die?

Zenobia Xenakes died on July 25, 2024. She was 93 years old.

Where was Zenobia Xenakes born?

She was born in Piraeus, Greece, in 1930. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was an infant.

What was Zenobia Xenakes’s ethnicity?

Zenobia Xenakes was Greek. Her mother came from Petrina in Laconia, and her father came from the island of Ikaria. A PBS Finding Your Roots DNA test on her daughter Tina Fey confirmed ancestry that was 94% European, 3% Middle Eastern, and 3% from the Caucasus.

Who was Tina Fey’s mother?

Tina Fey’s mother was Zenobia Xenakes, also known as Jeanne Fey. She was a Greek-American woman who worked at the Philadelphia brokerage firm Janney Montgomery Scott and raised Tina and her older brother Peter in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Did Zenobia Xenakes appear on television?

No. Zenobia Xenakes was a private individual who never appeared on television or in public media. Her influence on television came through her daughter Tina Fey’s work, particularly the character of Liz Lemon’s mother on 30 Rock.

What is Tina Fey’s connection to Greek heritage?

Tina Fey’s mother, Zenobia Xenakes, was born in Greece and raised Tina in a household that practiced Greek Orthodox traditions, spoke Greek, and observed Greek cultural customs. Tina’s middle name, Stamatina, is a Greek name. Tina’s daughter carries the name Zenobia as well.

Final Thoughts

Zenobia Xenakes never held a microphone, never walked a red carpet, and never sought public recognition. She spent decades working at a Philadelphia brokerage, raising two children in a Greek-American household, and solving crossword puzzles on her porch.

But the comedian her daughter became — the deadpan timing, the directness, the ability to find humor in ordinary domestic life — came directly from Zenobia’s kitchen table. The naming of Tina Fey’s daughter, Alice Zenobia Richmond, tells the whole story in two words.

The most enduring legacies don’t need an audience. They just need a family that pays attention.