Stamatios M. Katsaros

Stamatios "Stan" Katsaros passed away on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.  He was the third son of six children, born to Maria and Milton Katsaros.  Stan was born in Athens, Greece, where he lived until he moved to the U.S. at the age of 35. While growing up, Stan and his siblings (Kosta, George, Panagioti, Kaiti, and Krystalia) enjoyed playing with the neighborhood kids. He remembers going to the beach, and playing soccer and basketball. Stan and his friends often spent time at the cinema watching westerns, only to reenact them later.  By the time Stan was 13 years old, he had left school to work odd jobs around the city. He eventually found his way to becoming an apprentice at various auto mechanic shops in the area. There he found his passion for working on cars, which later led him to join The Hellenic Air Force to become an airplane mechanic for two and a half years! While in the Air Force he was stationed in Athens and other small bases within Greece. Stan says his favorite vehicle to work on will always be an airplane.  After leaving The Hellenic Air Force, Stan spent ten years traveling around Europe, searching for work while building a very diverse resume of jobs and skills. Not only did he work in auto shops, he also worked in the carbon mines in Belgium and Germany for two years. He soon decided to leave due to the dangers involved in mining. During his time traveling Europe he met his future wife, Niki. She was working at a tourist shop in Athens, and Stan would often come in to buy cigarettes and flirt with her at the counter. This went on for three or four months before Stan set up a double date with Niki and her brother, Philippa. Stan and Niki later married and were together for 22 years before parting ways. During their marriage they had three wonderful children: Maria, Penny, and Milton, which Stan counts as his proudest accomplishment.  About seven years into his marriage, Stan left Athens to build a better future for his family. He moved to Chicago, Ill., where he found work at a Volkswagen dealership, at that point in his life he spoke German more fluently than English. Stan's three years at the dealership allowed him to work on his English speaking skills and venture out into other roles at the dealership. Stan spent his first six months in the U.S. alone, until he was able to bring his family to him after earning his green card. The next years of his life saw him moving jobs every few years all in the search for something more. In time, Stan successfully ran four Texaco Stations in Chicago for five years before moving on to his next journey.  After twenty years in Chicago, Stan decided he'd had enough of the winter and moved to Florida where he stayed until moving to Oregon, Wis., to be closer to his daughter, Maria (Patrick) and his two grandsons, Alexander and Niko. Stan's favorite hobbies include swimming, fishing and of course fixing cars. He also loved to go on walks and listen to Greek music.  For the past two and a half years Stan has been part of the Oregon Manor and Main Street Quarters family, and they have enjoyed getting to know him and his great sense of humor. He was always quick to tell a joke and laugh with everyone. Stamatios is survived by his daughters, Maria (Patrick) Molzahn and their children, Alexander and Niko Molzhan and Penny (Peter) Bizoukas and their children, Niki and Peter Bizoukas; son, Milton (Judy) Katsaros and their children, Chrisovalanti and Maria Katsaros; brothers, Kostas Zafiropoulos and Panagiotis (Kathryn) Katsaros; sisters, Kaiti Skoutela and Krystalia (Christo) Koltsida; and former wife, Niki Katsaros.  He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, George Katsaros; sister-in-law, Orsa Zafiropoulos; brother-in-law, Kosta Skoutela; and niece, Maya Koltsida. Per Stan’s wishes, no services will be held. Gunderson Oregon Funeral & Cremation Care 1150 Park St. (608) 835-3515