Eleni Begetis Anastos

Eleni Begetis Anastos, 74, of Stamford, CT, passed away on June 7, 2026, surrounded by her loving family and friends. Eleni was preceded in death by her brother, Gregory Begetis and her husband, Jim Anastos. Born May 1, 1952, in Palaiovrysi, Lakonia, Greece, she was the daughter of the late Panagiotis Begetis and the late Panagiota Vafakos. At the age of 15, Eleni moved to Stamford along with her mother, her sister, Maria Aposporos, and her brother, Argyrios Childakos, to build a new life. Eleni graduated from Stamford High School in 1971 and she went on to enroll at Norwalk Community Technical College, with the aspiration of becoming a doctor. But life had other plans for her and by 1977 Eleni and her sister, Maria, had become owners of Curley’s Diner in Stamford, CT. During the years working nights at Curley’s Diner, Eleni met many people and made many friends. She was there to always listen to other people’s problems, help in any way she could and offer advice to the youth. That is how she was given the nick name, Big Mama. Also, during that time she developed an interest in poetry and she became part of The Curley’s Diner Poetry Group which emerged from PoemAlley, a cultural outreach arm of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Stamford. Poetry became Eleni’s passion and in 2007 she published a book with a collection of some of her poems titled, Big Mama. Eleni and her sister, Maria, made national news headlines between 1998 and 2002 when they fought and won a four-year battle against the Eminent Domain case brought upon them by the City of Stamford. Eleni, Maria and Curley’s Diner became a symbol of the little person fighting big corporate interests and development. Eleni enjoyed good food, loved poetry, travelling and spending quality time with friends, but Eleni’s absolute devotion above all was to her family. Eleni is survived by her daughters, Olga Anastos and Pauline Anastos; her son-in-law, Ensly Gregorio Maizo Mata; her grandson, Dimitri Maiz; her son, Bill Anastos; her daughter-in-law, Souzana Tzaltzoul Anasto; her granddaughter, Eleni Anastos; her sister, Maria Aposporos and her children Eleni Aposporos Lodolce and John Aposporos; her brother Argyrios Childakos and his 3 sons; and many cousins and nephews. A Memorial service will be held Thursday, June 18th, from 1:00pm to 4:30pm at Bosak Funeral Home & Cremation, 453 Shippan Avenue, Stamford, CT. Interment will be private.

Eleni Begetis Anastos

May 1, 1952 - June 7, 2026