Eleanna Ballis owned and operated a popular fish and chip shop in Barrack Heights for 40 years and on Sunday, the well-loved community stalwart passed away aged 86.

Mrs Ballis with her husband of nearly 50 years Stelio moved to Barrack Heights with their two children from Woonona before they bought a milk bar and butcher shop on Lagoon Street and turned it into Mumma's Fish and Chips shop.

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Her son Arthur Ballis has remembered his mother as a "kind and strong woman who was independent and full of pride".

The family-run business was named "Mumma's" only after local kids started calling Mrs Ballis 'Mum'.

"My parents brought the shops but they didn't really know what they were doing when they started. Mum was a dressmaker," Mr Ballis said.

"She ran the shop until about 2004.

"At the end of the night, Mum would cook up the rest of the stock and take it to the park to give to people or local kids.

"She became a very popular lady and well-liked in the community.

"Customers came from all over Wollongong to have the hand-cut chips and Mum's burgers."

Mr Ballis said the shop became a local hangout for teenagers after school finished.

"My parents put pinball machines at the back of the shop, which also sold milk and newspapers," he said.

"Dad would keep an eye on the kids to make sure they didn't spend too much money and would tell them to go home to finish their homework."

Mrs Ballis, who was born in Greece, was the face of the business and would work long hours from 6am to 9pm seven days a week.

She always found time to tend to her flowers but her real passion was helping and caring for those in need.

"If anybody needed help, she would run out to give them some food," Mr Ballis said.

"If someone was poor or struggling she would plant food on their table.

"She also gave food and cared for elderly Greek people in the community.

"Mum would not take 'no' for an answer.

"She knew people said no because of their pride but would stay with them until they accepted her help."

When she retired, Mrs Ballis passed on the business to her daughter Dimitra who closed the shop last year.

Mrs Ballis remained active through spending time with her family, gardening, walking to get groceries or helping out in the shop.

"Mum would walk to Warilla Grove and people would stop their cars to offer her a lift," Mr Ballis said.

Condolences from former customers of the shop flooded social media with many sharing lovely stories and memories of Mumma after learning of her passing.

Mr Ballis said his Mum, also known as Yia Yia to her grandchildren as it is the Greek word for grandmother, would be dearly missed.

"My mother did not have a bad bone in her body," he said. "Everybody loved her.

"She was a woman who would stand her ground and could not be manipulated.

"Mum was a hard worker. Once she set her mind to a task, she would do it."

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