Evans Stergianis

Evans Stergianis, 89, of Stamford, passed away peacefully at his home on March 5, 2026. He was born to Ioannis and Sophia Stergianis in a remote mountain region of mainland Greece known as Agrafa, which means “unwritten.”

From an early age, Evans had a deep passion for education. Before he was old enough to attend school, he would walk to the village school in hopes of being allowed inside, only to be turned away by those who knew he was underage. During World War II, when he was finally old enough to attend, communist partisans murdered the school’s teacher. Two years later the school reopened, and once enrolled, he quickly caught up, thriving as a gifted student with a particular aptitude for mathematics. One of his favorite memories from high school was solving a problem related to the nine-point circle.

At age 18, Evans moved to Toronto to join his brothers. Determined to learn English, he studied the dictionary and the Bible from front to back, developing an impressive vocabulary. He later settled in Chicago, where he married his beloved wife, Roula Mesoloras Stergianis.

Together they raised two daughters, Sophia (Hartch) and Susanna (Wickham), instilling in them his love of learning and a deep faith in the Greek Orthodox Church. Evans took great pride in his daughters’ educational paths: Susanna attended Northwestern University, and Sophia attended the University of Chicago, later earning her J.D. from the University of Michigan and her M.B.A. from New York University.

Evans later moved to Stamford to watch his granddaughters grow up. Nothing gave him greater joy than seeing them flourish. He was especially pleased to see them succeed academically: Phoebe Hartch, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Daphne Hartch, currently a junior at Johns Hopkins University.

Among Evans’ happiest memories were a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his wife and fellow church members in 2013, as well as a visit to the monasteries of Mount Athos in 2015. Largely self-taught in many subjects, Evans loved learning throughout his life. One of his favorite sayings came from Pericles’ Funeral Oration, as recorded by Thucydides: “We cultivate refinement without extravagance and knowledge without effeminacy.” He was also a skilled and enthusiastic card player.

Evans is survived by his loving wife, Roula; his daughters, Sophia and her husband Tim, and Susanna and her husband Chris; and his cherished granddaughters, Phoebe and Daphne.

In addition to his parents, Evans was predeceased by his beloved siblings Mary, Panagiotis, Pantelis, and Vasiliki.

A funeral service will take place at The Church of the Archangels, 1527 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT, on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Putnam Cemetery, 35 Parsonage Road, Greenwich.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Evans’ memory to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago, where he proudly served on the parish council for many years, and to Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.