Stephanie Stakis-Hansen

i met steph when we were about 11 years old. the blind and deaf knew that girl was Greek!!she was a very proud beautiful person. we shared a love for music and animals. she was so amazing at the saxophone. when she picked up a new hobby she went for it and never gave up. i remember her and i deciding to learn the guitar and she would call me and teach over the phone the songs that she learned like "sweet dreams" and "nothing else matters". she was pretty fearless too...our last day of school, there was a tradition for the seniors to jump off bakers bridge and she was the first one to jump off without thinking twice. that girl was there all evening!!! she lived life to the fullest. i will miss her sooo much and i will never forget her! i love you stephanie!

my thoughts and prayers go to the entire family. she will be missed dearly

To Tim, my new son-in-law: Though I met your sister briefly this past Christmas, I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to get to know her. I know she meant a lot to you, and I'm so sorry for the pain you and your family are going through right now. Hopefully, that pain will ease some as time passes, and you can focus on the good memories you'll always have to look back on and smile about.

I have so many wonderful memories of Stephanie, it was hard to decide exactly what I wanted to talk about. We first met in grade school - and after that, we were pretty much inseparable. I remember many fun things about our childhood - like, playing outside pretending to be tv action cartoon characters, and spending time at the lake (where I ALWAYS got sunburned. Which is why Stephanie always called me the lobster...and why she drew lobster claws in my yearbook :o)...I remember jumping on the trampoline to some pretty terrible songs, like ICE, ICE BABY...I remember simple things like just watching tv with her. She loved to laugh - so we were always watching funny shows like Beavis and Butthead & Space Ghost. I will never see these shows again and not think of her. I could go on and on about all the things I remember about Stephanie, but instead, I will just say what I admired most about her. PASSION. She was passionate about everything that she did. She never did anything without doing it well. She was passionate about her saxophone, she was passionate about being a drum major, she was passionate about being Greek. Lucky for me, she was also passionate about being my friend. She never forgot a birthday. She never left me hanging. She was a wonderful friend, and I was so very lucky to have had her there with me. I will miss her always.

Peter and I offer our sincere condolences for your lost. We understand your grief, we pray you will treasure your memories of Stephanie and move forward knowing you were bless to have had her in your life. Thank you so much, Miriam Hansen

Stephanie always embraced being Greek and proved it when performing at the Greek festivals. I remember one of her greatest performances.....it was when her Yiayia Vivian attended what would be Vivian's last Greek festival I remember how Stephanie held her head so poised and proud. She didn't miss a beat. When the performance was complete, she looked at her Yiayia, who was now crying out of joy, and she simply smiled. She wanted to make Yiayia proud and she accomplished her goal.

MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOUR DURING THIS OH SO DIFFICULT TIME. I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH STEPHANIE AND WAS ALSO IN BAND WITH HER. SHE IS THE 2ND ONE OF MY GRADUATING CLASS OF 01 TO PASS IN LESS THAN A MONTH. OUR CLASS WILL NOT BE THE SAME WITH OUT HER BAND MEMORIES WILL BRING A TEAR. I WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR YOUR STRENGTH THROUGH ALL OF THIS SADNESS

I am so sorry for your loss. I went to school with Stephanie. She was such an amazing person! She will definately be missed

We would like to extend our thaughts and prayers to B & Jim and your families. Thanks for always extending a smile and a wave to our girls. Mitch & Melanie

What can I say.....this vibrant, funny, and beautiful woman touched so many of us. Even though we don't know why this has happened, we can be confident that she is with the Lord. There is no doubt in my mind that Yiayia Vivian was waiting for her and they are now together. As long as we live the remainder of our time on earth as God instructed, we will one day be with Stephanie again. And though her time with us was short, we should thank Him for sharing her with us, allowing us to know and love her. To her parents and step-parents - I cannot imagine the pain and confusion you are suffering. There are no words I can offer to help comfort you except believing that Stephanie would not want you to mourn. Know that she adored you and treasure all those wonderful memories you have of her. She will always remain my "koukla" koumbara and have a very special place in my now-broken heart. May her memory be eternal.