Despina (Karagiannis) Stamatakis, 92, of Wethersfield, beloved wife of the late Steve Stamatakis, passed away peacefully Fri. Feb. 1, 2013 at Glastonbury Health Care Center. She was born Dec. 10, 1920 in Siana, Rhodes, Greece, youngest daughter of the late George & Maria Karagiannis. As a young girl in Greece, she attended seamstress school until WWII bombings demolished it. At 26 she endured a difficult journey by boat to Ellis Island, immigrating to Hartford to marry Steve, a former neighbor, family friend, & U.S.WWII vet. She took night classes to learn English & became a U.S. Citizen. Despina was always friendly to everyone. Considered an "energizer bunny", she was hard-working, loving, kind & generous-to-a-fault. But mostly, she was a beloved & loving devoted wife, mother & grandmother. Everyone that met her fell in love with her sweet nature & kind demeanor. She worked nights at Royal Typewriter Company alternating shifts with her husband, bought their first home in East Hartford. She worked 2nd shift at Stanadyne until retirement age, yet unwilling to retire she continued to work into her 70s. Despina "Yiayia" loved to day-care her grandchildren which gave her, and them, great joy! Despina was a long-standing member of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, a 2nd family she cherished dearly; she always asked if it was time for Church. Besides making the best avgolemeno soup, stuffed-grape leaves, Greek meatballs, etc., she baked the best bread from scratch, Greek cookies & loved giving them to family & friends. She was an excellent seamstress & often obliged others with tailoring/mending. She loved to walk, garden, talk with neighbors & take family trips to the beach & park, earning the nickname "little bird". She was especially known for her many years of crocheting blankets for local children's homes & also donated to WWLM mission works in Peru. Two things Despina held near & dear was an enormous daily supply of Werthers candies, which she enjoyed continually & her membership in the NY Yankees family fan club. The family is grateful for the loving care she received by the staff of Glastonbury Health Care & Masonicare. Despina is survived by her son, Emmanuel Stamatakis & his wife, Anne, of Rocky Hill; her two daughters, Mary Papadogiannis & husband, Peter, of South Windsor & Anastasia Mancini & her husband, Paul, of Bolton; 3 grandchildren, Steve & Stephanie Papadogiannis & Despina Hazen, her husband Robert & her latest pride & joy, a great-grandson, Robert Hazen III. Besides immediate family & many fond friends, she leaves several nieces, nephews & cousins in Greece, Germany, New York & Florida. Calling hours are Mon., Feb. 4, 4-8 pm at Dillon-Baxter Funeral Home, 1276 Berlin Tpke, Wethersfield. A Trisayion Service will be held at 5:30 pm at the funeral home. Funeral services will be held Tue., Feb. 5, 2013, 11 am at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 433 Fairfield Ave., Hartford with the Rev. Fr. George Zugravu officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Contributions in her memory may be made to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. To share a memory with the family, please visit, www.dillonbaxter.com