Obituary of Daphne Sturges

Anastasia “Daphne” Bakalis Sturges passed away at age 70 on July 3, 2012, after a remarkable fourteen year battle with cancer. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her family. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, John Sturges, daughters Christina Griffin (son-in-law Eric) and Elizabeth Hoffmann (son-in-law Ethan), granddaughters Hayden, Allegra and Zoe, 105 year-old mother Athena Bakalis, and sisters Ourania Soumas, Rita Mergemekes and Diana Davis, as well as many nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. She grew up in New York City, was awarded a Bachelors’ degree in English from City University of New York, and a Masters of Arts in English from New York University. She had a career in the editorial field at Equitable Life, Blaisdell Publishing and Dell Publishing. She was very involved in many of her daughters’ school activities, often serving as class mother, attending their sports events, and organizing fundraisers. Subsequently, after her daughters were grown, she coordinated Colleagues in Caring, an inter-collegiate program led by the Rutgers University School of Nursing. In her Greek Orthodox Church, Kimisis Tis Theotokou, Daphne served as a member of the Parish Council and as its first woman Vice President. Daphne loved to travel, and began visiting Europe with friends during the 1960’s. She prided herself on her ability to learn the language of the countries she visited. She was particularly fond of Greece, and returned there many summers over 50 years. In recent years, she and John took a variety of “trips of a lifetime” (sometimes with friends and family) to Alaska, Czechoslovakia, the Caribbean, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Turkey. When she was home in New Jersey, she attended theatre, museums, concerts, and dance. She impressed upon her daughters the importance of culture and travel to “broaden one’s horizons.” Books and wordsmithing were contemplative pastimes for Daphne. She completed the New York Times Crossword puzzle (“in pen!”) every day, typically in one sitting. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Daphne will be missed by so many, and admired for her irrepressible spirit, beautiful smile, wit, humor, determination and courage. Visitation at the Riverdale Funeral Home (5044 Broadway @214th street New York City) will be on Friday July 6th from 2-4 and 6-8 PM. A Funeral service will be held there on Saturday July 7th at 11:00 AM. Burial services will be private on a subsequent date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903).