Steven J. Anastos

1960 - 2023

Steven J. Anastos
Steven James Anastos, 62, of Stamford, CT died peacefully in his home surrounded by his family on October 23, 2023, after a very brief battle with brain cancer. His attitude through it all was unwavering peace and acceptance. He was the son of James Anastos and Aspasia (Sas) Kontoyianes Anastos, both deceased, and was the youngest brother of 3 children. Steve is survived by his family who he loved so passionately: his wife, Evelyn, and his two daughters, Erin and Devon, of West Hollywood, CA; his sister, Leah Johnson and her husband Stuart E Johnson of Washington, DC, their children, Laura and Chris and their spouses and children; and his brother, Alan Anastos of Gulfport, FL and his daughters, Marissa, and her spouse and children, and Lexine and her fiancé. He is also survived by thousands of friends that he loved and cared about so deeply.
Steve proudly went to public school in Leominster, MA and spent his last 2 years of high school at Cushing Academy, where he graduated in 1979. He majored in English at Syracuse University and graduated in 1983. He was a member of ZBT Fraternity there and developed strong connections with his brothers that remain to this day. He was a loyal friend to all he met along the way, and he gave everyone that he loved a special nickname. He was someone you could always go to for a good time and a good conversation and a great laugh. He had the best laugh: always with that big, beautiful smile and his genuine laugh from his belly, and always grabbing whoever's arm he was with to share in the fun.
After college graduation, Steve moved to NYC and wanted to be a writer for Boxing News Magazine. He reminded us to this day that the current writer for that magazine was hired 2 weeks prior to Steve's interview. So, he quickly switched gears… He had style and personality which was picked up by the fashion industry in NYC, where he worked over 20 years. He began at Lord & Taylor in their training program, and then went to Belle France, Gillian/AJ Bari, Hero Industries, where he was President of Nightline and became a corporate Vice President, and on to be President of Liz Claiborne Dresses at Leslie Fay and then to Carole Hochman.
During this time as he travelled to Dallas for business, he met a tall, loud Texas blonde that he described as the only person who was in living color and absolutely positively fell in love with her. He romanced her until the end. Steve and Evelyn eloped 35 years ago and then moved to Connecticut, where they raised Erin and Devon, who he loved and helped unconditionally and who he was so fiercely proud of. He had strong family values and was an amazing dad. As Steve and Evelyn commuted back and forth from CT to NYC, they met their first Connecticut friends on the 6:11 Bar Car, where they were regulars until Metro North removed them from the trains. (The Bar Cars! Not Steve and Evelyn!)
Steve was an amazing athlete and he loved to play tennis and hockey. His showed a solid leadership and coaching on the ice on the now infamous Brennan's/ Red Stripe hockey team and was able to keep Captain Jack from losing his mind, while trying to keep his own players from hurting themselves or someone else. He and his family have been members of the Stamford Yacht Club for close to 30 years. Many a great tennis match he played there and so many wonderful memories, laughs, toasts and conversations were made there with all our fellow members, young and old.
In 2005, Steve wanted a career change and was tired of commuting to the city, so he went into Real Estate and joined William Raveis and loved every single minute and every single co-worker and every single client that he worked with in this profession. He excelled and won many awards of which he never boasted. He was highly skilled at navigating people, reading the room and steering the situational ship with grace, bobbing and weaving right through all the dynamics, straight through to closing. He had never-ending patience and grace. He congratulated his co-workers every time they got a listing. They all had high respect for him, which had nothing to do with the properties he listed or sold, but rather had everything to do with how hard he worked, the tenacity he had of getting through every and any market, and most importantly, everything he did daily to support his wife and daughters.
Steve, your obituary should really be a thank you note from all of us. You brought us all joy. You were passionate and cared about every person you met and wanted to know everything about each one of us. You knew a lot about a lot! You could talk about music (specializing in all from the late '50s to early '80s, and especially in Three Dog Night and Elvis), tennis, boxing, politics, fashion, real estate, movies, documentaries, dogs (although you only knew how to spoil them, not how to train them) and you fully loved and took such pride in every place you lived: Leominster, MA; Syracuse, NY; and Stamford, CT. You loved our neighborhood, Shippan and always called it one of the top ten neighborhoods in America. You shared your joy in all these things with each one of us. You made us all feel so special and you brought out the best in each of us. You were so genuine and sincere and had such a beautiful heart and soul. As your in-laws said recently, "I never met a finer man than Steve Anastos." The measure of a man is in what he does for others and Steve, you were a giver. You were a class act from start to finish. Although, cut way too short, you exemplified a life well-lived. We will miss you forever.
Visitation will be Sunday, October 29th, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bosak Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Avenue, in Stamford, CT.
The Celebration of Life service will be on Thursday, November 30th, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stamford Yacht Club, 97 Ocean Drive W, Stamford, CT.
To share a remembrance online, please sign the family guestbook at www.bosakfuneralhome.com or www.facebook.com/bosakfuneralhome