Obituary of Christopher Stefanakos

Christopher J. Stefanakos (6/8/1930) was born and raised on the east side of Manhattan. His parents James & Stella emigrated from Sparta, Greece in order to make a better life in America. He graduated from Seward Park High School on the Lower East Side. As a child growing up in the post depression era he valued work, always finding any type of work he could. He considered his real education that which he learned from the streets, and was proud to be a "street guy". In 1956 he made a huge gamble and moved from NYC & founded Stefan's Flowers & Event Decor in Lawrence NY. A virtual outsider, he firmly established his place in the 5 towns and would become one of the largest Event Decorators in the Long Island/Metropolitan area, and would become world known. He considered his customers family and would never turn anyone away. He is pre-deceased by his wife Vickie of 60 years, & three sisters, Georgia, Helen & Mary. Father of Danae, Jimmy (Joanna), & Steven (Jennifer), grandfather to Kristopher (Nicole), Lindsay (Adam), Max, Toni Rose, William & Franklin, great grandfather to Jack & Alex.