Smaragdi Hagefstration Spanos

Born in Birmingham, AL on June 18, 1922, and raised in the Norwood community, she graduated from Phillips High School in 1941.

A skilled and imaginative graphic artist, Margie directed and applied her talents into a successful and rewarding career as an advertising fashion illustrator in Birmingham. She first worked in The Birmingham News Advertising Department from 1942 – 1945. She then moved to Blach’s Department store where she produced fashion illustrations for the store’s newspaper advertisements.

Margie devoted herself to raising her three children during the decade of the 1950s and then returned to her work as a graphic artist, which she did as a freelancer from 1961 – 1974. Between 1964 and 1974, she also worked at Loveman’s Department Store as editor of their “in-house” publications and in 1968 was presented with Loveman’s “Award of Excellence” for her work on the employee newsletter, “Loveman’s Ledger”. While at Loveman’s, Margie belonged to the Birmingham Association of Industrial Editors, an organization that promoted professional growth in local Business and Industrial Editing and the Graphic Arts. She was presented with the group’s United Appeal Award in 1969 for Best Editorial.

In 1970 under her leadership, “Loveman’s Ledger” won the United Appeal/BBC award for Best Editorial. Then in 1971 and 1972, in the Jefferson-Shelby-Walker United Appeal annual editors competition, she was presented the Award for Outstanding Editorial.

A lover of all the arts, Margie enjoyed attending symphony and chamber music

concerts, opera, art exhibits, movies, and books.

A life-long Greek Orthodox Christian, Margie taught Sunday School and as a young woman sang in the choir of Birmingham’s Holy Cross Church and later sang, with her daughter, in the choir of Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

She was preceded in death by her parents Efstratios I. Hagefstratiou and Martha K. Hagefstratiou; her husband, James M. Spanos (love at first sight for both); a son, Charles Stratton Spanos; and a brother John E. Hagefstration.

She is survived by a son, Michael J. Spanos (Mary), Alabaster; a daughter, Antoinette Spanos Nordan (Clay), Birmingham; a grandson, Johnathan Spanos (Amanda), Hayden; three great-grandchildren Jada McCoy (Jacob), Cadence, and Eva Spanos, Hayden; and two great-great grandsons Elijah and Owen McCoy, Hayden.

Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. and funeral at 11:00 a.m. on Monday April 27, 2026, at the Cathedral. Burial to follow at Elmwood Cemetery.

Father Paul Costopoulos officiating.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral Philoptochos Society, 307 19th St S., Birmingham, AL 35233, or The Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

She was dearly loved by her family and will be greatly missed.

May her memory be eternal.