Steve J. Costas

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Steve John Costas on Sunday, August 28th, 2022. Steve was born on August 16th, 1931 to the late John and Sultana (Castelioutou) Costas of Wethersfield. Steve was educated in the Hartford school system where he attended Southwest Elementary School and Bulkeley High School, Class of 1949. He graduated from Bryant College in Providence, RI, Class of 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Soon after graduation, he served in Germany during the Korean Conflict as a member of the Seventh Corps Headquarters Honor Guard. Upon completion of his education and military duty, Steve joined his father in the family business, Omar Coffee Company, in Hartford. This is where his dedication to family, church, and business began.

In 1955, Steve married the love of his life, Sophia Bacus, and together, raised three daughters, Diane, Suzanne and Joanne. They enjoyed many years with both family and friends in Wethersfield, Connecticut, Pompano Beach, Florida and White Sand Beach, Old Lyme.

Steve loved his church. He was an active and devoted member of the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. He proudly served on the Parish Council, both as president and member, attended church regularly and sang for over 60 years with his rich bass voice in the church choir. He participated and chaired many of the church’s milestone events and contributed his time and resources to the church throughout his life. In 1972, he was honored by the Patriarch of Constantinople as Archon Depoutatos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the highest honor for a lay person in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is bestowed on a select few for their service to the church and for their leadership in the Orthodox Christian Community. In addition to his patronage to the church, he was a 55-year member of the Hartford Chapter of The Order of AHEPA, whose mission is to promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. He originated and sponsored a charity golf tournament that started with the AHEPA Brotherhood. The Omar Cup continues to support multiple charities to this day.

Omar Coffee Company was his “baby”. Through his hard work and devotion, Omar became one of Hartford’s leading coffee companies. As “The Juan Valdez” of Franklin Avenue, Steve celebrated Omar’s 80th anniversary, in 2017, at its Newington facility. Currently managed by its 4th generation, Omar continues to prosper. With regular visits into the office, Steve always had a pulse on his business. Whether in person or a phone call, he was always “in the know”. During his final days, still calling into the office to oversee daily operations. His business and customers were very important to him. He loved Omar Coffee Company and considered his employees extended family; a role model to all with values to live by.

Steve held an honorary membership in UNICO National as well as the Boys Towns’ of Italy. In 1977, he was selected as Purveyor of the Year by the Connecticut Restaurant Association. In his lifetime, he served on the Hartford Suburban Advisory Board of the Bank of Boston Connecticut and was a member of the UConn Founders Club. Steve was a diehard New York Yankees fan for all of his life. He never missed a game or the chance to spar or commemorate with his fellow Red Sox family/friends. He also enjoyed playing golf and tennis, and was a member of Wethersfield Country Club for nearly five decades. Steve had a love for music and served on the Board of the Connecticut Opera. Steve and Sophia supported many of the local theatres: The Hartford Symphony, The Goodspeed Opera House, and The Connecticut Opera.

Steve is survived by his loving wife Sophia, daughters, Suzanne Stamos (Chris) of Dana Point, CA and Joanne Lemnios of Farmington. He was pre-deceased by his daughter, Diane Bokron and his brothers, Nicholas and Chris Costas. “Papou” will be dearly missed by his eight grandchildren: Nicholas and Steven Bokron, Sophia, Stephanie and Alexia Stamos and Andrew, Michael, and Alexis Lemnios. Special thanks to Dr. Peter White, the CHF team at St. Francis Hospital and his caregivers for providing him the best of care.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, Sept 1st, at D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd. Wethersfield, from 3 p.m.-7 p.m., with a Trisagion Service at 4 p.m. The funeral services will be held at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 433 Fairfield Ave, Hartford on Friday, September, 2nd at 11 a.m. The burial will follow in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. Memorial contributions may be made to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 433 Fairfield Ave, Hartford, CT 06114 in memory of Steve Costas. To share a memory of Steve with his family, please visit www.desopofuneralchapel.com.