Katherine D Kretsedemas

On the eve of Theophany—January 5th, 2025—our sweet wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Katherine D. Kretsedemas, reposed in the Lord. She was 93 years old and reposed peacefully surrounded by family. Katherine was preceded in death by her husband, Demetrios N. Kretsedemas, in 2020. In life, they were blessed with 61 years of marriage, 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren.

 Katherine was born in the mountain village of Pigadi, Kynourias, Greece on September 3rd, 1931. Born of Panagioti D. Stagias and Kyriakoula K. Papapavlou, she was the oldest of four children and the only daughter. When Katherine was eight years old, her father passed away, leaving her pregnant mother with three, soon to be four, children. Katherine was subsequently pulled from school to look after the home and care for her younger brothers, James, Gus, and Peter, while their mother took on the men’s work. While taking care of home life ended her opportunity to study, her unique circumstance provided a new opportunity, where she developed an interest in cooking and baking. She had a third-grade education.

 Though born in Greece, Katherine was also born a US citizen due to her father becoming a naturalized citizen years prior. Katherine immigrated to the United States post-WWII as a teenager and primarily resided in Poughkeepsie, NY. There, she worked as a waitress in different restaurants, was an assistant at St. Basil’s Academy, took care of her brothers, and saved up to bring their mother over from the village. The family was reunited in New York, where Katherine continued to work and save her money.

 Meanwhile, in the Falcon Restaurant off Historic Route 66, Demetrios received a visit from his Aunt Panagiota who showed him a picture of a wholesome girl from a neighboring village now living in New York. Through the introduction of Demetrios’ aunt, the couple was arranged, and Katherine became a bride. She was 27 when she married Demetrios in 1958. They had a beautiful wedding at St. Spyridon’s Greek Orthodox Church in Washington Heights, New York which Katherine both planned and paid for. Katherine gave birth to their first daughter the following year and continued to grow their family and support the restaurant until their retirement in the early 2000s.

Katherine will be remembered for many things: her hardworking nature, her sense of self-discipline, her quick wit, how she never complained or blamed others for unfortunate circumstances, and how she always voiced the truth without fear of repercussion. She lived simply and selflessly, taking care of others before herself.

Among all, Katherine was an amazing cook, and an even better baker. She was meticulous and methodical in her approach, perfected her recipes, and replicated them pristinely time and time again. Her culinary knowledge transcended cultural and generational palates, being well versed in traditional Greek and American comfort foods. Her labor of love was visible in the finest details that she did all by hand, and her Christmas cookies remain famous to this day in Winslow, Arizona. While we will miss what she brought to the table—because no one will ever be able to do it quite the same—we will miss the hands that made us, cared for us, fed us, prayed for us, and sculpted us into being far more.

Katherine was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Demetrios N. Kretsedemas; her parents, Panagioti and Kyriakoula; her infant brother, John; her sister-in-law, Mersina; and her siblings-in-law George, Pete, Alex, and Stamata.

She is survived by her children Dina, Nicholas (Denise), Kiki, and Peggy (James); her brothers James , Gus (Joanna), and Peter (Athena) Stagias; sisters-in-law Sophie, Tammy, and Enid Kretsedemas; grandchildren Katherine (David), Jacob, Katherine (Salvador), Ekaterina, Demetrios, Thomas, and Sophia; and great grandchildren Gabriel, Lukas, Demetrios, Constantine, and Stamata, as well as many nieces and nephews.

 Funeral services will be held Friday, January 10th at 10:00 AM at St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church. Internment will take place immediately following at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, Arizona. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church: 2716 N. Dobson Rd. Chandler, AZ 85224.