Obituary of Dimitrios Stephano

Born on July 3rd under an olive tree in Ithaca, Greece it is perhaps the most fitting start of a life for a man so enamored with all things natural and beautiful. Dimitrios Stephano came from very humble, difficult beginnings – forcing him to work at just 8 years old in a local movie theater changing reels on a projector. He never had the opportunity to go to school past this age. At 19, in 1965, he joined the army and served for 1 year. Following this he travelled the world by boat delivering goods, paying his way by working in the steam rooms. He jumped ship in 1967 in Manhattan with only $8 in his pocket, quickly finding a job as a painter. He dodged immigration officers for many months, keeping a low profile quietly working, staying out of trouble and going straight home after work. After seeing a picture of a beautiful girl, a sister of one of his painter friends, he quickly asked to correspond with her. Her name was Anna and she lived in Greece and they wrote religiously for many months before meeting. Just twenty five days after meeting for the very first time, they were engaged and 3.5 months later, on January 16, 1972, they were married. Eleven months later they gave birth to their first of four sons. They rented an apartment in Washington Heights for several years while Dimitrios, also known as “Jimmy” or “Jim” did various painting jobs around the city. They saved and bought a house on Staten Island, one block from the ocean, in 1979. It was here that Dimitrios, lovingly referred to as “Ba” (Father in Greek), instilled his incredible work-ethic and love to build in all of his sons; Teaching them all about cars, building and restoring all types, including a 1972 Oldsmobile Toronado and a blue1974 Hornet (which a neighbor gifted to him after swearing it was broken and that it wouldn’t start – Dimitrios took a look at it and had it up and running within a couple of hours). Restless and always wanting to build and create, the house was constantly filled with his projects starting with the house itself. Built originally as a summer home, he ended up renovating the entire house from top to bottom (jacking up the house in order to strengthen the foundation), tearing down walls, creating elaborate molding details and glazing in the kitchen dining and living rooms and even adding an addition onto the roof – which he singled-handedly built (electrical, plumbing and all). Dimitrios even built an addition to the house all on his own. He even installed in-wall speakers before in-wall speakers were mainstream. Everything was a thoughtful, custom creation. He had a brilliant mind with an incredible attention to detail and beauty. He then built an EXACT replica of a cruise liner ship, entirely from memory – down to the last miniature details of the sun chairs and railings, complete with working lights. It took him 2-years to finish. It is still proudly displayed in his home. From 1980-1991 he worked as a gold leafer at the Helmsley Hotel, Waldorf -Astoria and most notably The Plaza Hotel – where he was promoted to a foreman/lead gold – leafer- all jobs he took tremendous pride in. Following this, he worked on a custom project for 4 years at a mansion on Riverside Drive called “Chapel Hill” – glazing, gold leafing and working with stucco – a house since featured on TV for it’s remarkable craftsmanship. His work was so extraordinary that the owner called him for 8 years after he left, begging him to come back and work. He couldn’t stop creating, even when the physicality of old-age made it difficult. He was an artist and it made him so happy to just make beautiful things and make things beautiful. At 62, after moving to Pennsylvania, he continued his passion by again tearing down walls, glazing and laying tile in his home while simultaneously working on restoring a 1966 Mustang. He was fiercely stubborn and incredibly loving. His face lit up at the sight of any child, especially his kids and grandkids – they brought him so much joy. We will always remember how our beloved Papou reached out with a single handle to cradle our faces. He reveled in the simple joys of life, just wanting to sit in the sun with his coffee and tell story after story of his life. We are so grateful for these stories even after our eyerolls at hearing them for the hundredth time – because now they are etched in our memories. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Anna Stephano, sons Dionysios “Donny” Stephano & wife Lauri Stephano, Gerasimos “Jerry” Stephano and wife Melissa Stephano and Nicholas “Nick” Stephano and by his grandsons, Panagiotis “Peter,” Frankie and Dimitrios Stephano. Our beloved Jim, Ba and Papou left us on Februray 9, 2021 but we know he is in heaven making it more beautiful with his glaze and gold leaf…….