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Stella R. (Rousakis) Georgantas
5/23/2018

NORTHAMPTON – Stella R. Georgantas of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida and Blandford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home on May 23. She was born on September 3, 1927, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her father, John T. Rousakis of Agioi Theodori, Crete, immigrated to the United States in the early part of the 20th century to work in the copper mines of Utah. Asimo Hrisanthacopoulos, her mother, left Chora, Greece, as part of the Greek diaspora in the mid-1920s. The couple met, wed and raised five daughters; Mrs. Georgantas was the second eldest. She was educated at the High School of Commerce in Springfield, and upon graduating began working in the treasury department of Sears, Roebuck & Company. In 1952, Mrs. Georgantas met her husband, Charles T. Georgantas of Elliniko, Arcadia, Greece. The couple married the following year and settled first in Springfield and then in Blandford, Massachusetts, in the Berkshire foothills. They had a daughter, Margo, of Northampton, and a son, John, who lives in New York City. In 1960, Mrs. Georgantas used shares of Sears stock she had accumulated through her work to finance the purchase of a commercial property. Together with her husband, Mrs. Georgantas developed this business into a successful commercial and residential real estate ownership and management company that continued operating in Chicopee and Holyoke, Massachusetts, for 47 years. One of the first properties included a laundromat, so the couple eventually built a chain with six locations. Mr. and Mrs. Georgantas were vintage car enthusiasts and collectors, and were active members of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America, the Model T Ford Club of America and the Model A Ford Club of America. Mrs. Georgantas especially enjoyed tossing rose petals out of her antique car windows during parades. Her husband passed away in 1995. Mrs. Georgantas was baptized and wed at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Springfield, where she was a lifelong communicant. When she relocated to Fort Lauderdale in 2003, Mrs. Georgantas attended St. Demetrios Church, where she was a member of the Philoptochos Ladies Society and the Daughters of Penelope. She was widely loved and admired for her business savvy, warmth, kindness, dedication to her family, graciousness, hospitality and strength of character. Her family and friends will always remember the festive Easter celebrations at her home, and Mrs. Georgantas’s parties the weekend of the Blandford Fair were legendary. In addition to her children, Mrs. Georgantas leaves her sisters Penelope (John) Harbilas, Anne Thomas, Sophia (Emmanuel) Papadoconstantakis and Constance (James) Kouchalakos; Martha Dinopoulos, her mother’s sister, of Athens, Greece; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and godchildren in the United States and Greece. Visitation will be held from 9:30 AM to 11 AM on Saturday, June 2, at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 22 St. George Road, Springfield, Massachusetts, with funeral services beginning at 11 AM. Interment will immediately follow at Oak Grove Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts. The family requests there be no flowers, and suggests donations be made in Mrs. Georgantas’s name to the White Church Preservation Fund, PO Box 35, Blandford, Massachusetts 01008-0035. St. Pierre – Phaneuf Springfield Chapels are handling arrangements.
St. Pierre-Phaneuf Springfield Chapels
7 Chapin Terrace
Springfield, MA USA 01107
413-737-1177