Obituary of Maria Kargakos Sampanis

Maria (Kargakos) Sampanis, 90, loving wife, mother and grandmother, died peacefully on November 26, 2022 at Stamford Hospital from complications due to covid-19. She was born in Sparta, Greece on September 3, 1932 and was the daughter of George Kargakos and Evanthia (Lambrakos) Kargakos.

Her father was a prominent local official who was a leader of the Greek resistance in Sparta during the Nazi occupation of Greece. After his assassination by Greek communists, she emigrated to the United States under the Marshall plan and settled with her paternal uncle in Mitchell, Indiana. Her arrival was noted in the local paper with a headline welcoming "Pretty Maria." She was introduced to Lee Sampanis, of Salem, Indiana, and they married on June 30, 1957. They eventually relocated to Stamford, Connecticut where she was a traditional Greek homemaker and mother and worked in retail sales at Bloomingdale's for nearly 20 years. She was a longtime member of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangels in Stamford.

She is predeceased by her parents and all five of her siblings in Greece. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Lee Sampanis of Stamford, Ct, her daughter Medina Vasily (John) of Darien, Ct, her son, Louis Sampanis (Monika) of Warsaw, Poland and her granddaughters Elizabeth Vasily and Anne Sampanis. A private funeral will be held at The Church of the Archangels, and in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the church.