Agnes Efstation Dignam

Born in Manhattan on 6/24/1918 to James and Anna Efstation.  Agnes had two brothers, Tom and Dino Efstation.  The family moved to Staten Island, NY, where her father built a three-story brick home with a fur store on the first level. They then bought a hotel in Asbury Park, NJ; The Minot House.  The family was Greek Orthodox and her father was one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church in Staten Island, brother Tom a gynecologist and Dino an attorney.  Agnes went to Wagner College and Hunter College in New York.  She married Sam Aslanides and had a daughter, Yvonne.  Her second marriage was to Frank Dignam and they lived in Staten Island until his passing.  She was a manager at the Staten Island Zoo for many years and had her picture on magazines with various animals.  She moved to Delaware in 1982 to be near her daughter Yvonne, son-in-law George and her grandchildren – John and Andrea Tsavalas.

She enjoyed picking the grandchildren up from Montessori and Tower Hill in the afternoon and taking them to Greek school or music lessons.  She was one of the founders of the Academy of Lifelong Learning and held many positions there, mostly registration and travel.  She enjoyed many cruises with friends from the Academy along with her family. She lived in Mendenhall Village but then combined forces with her daughter and son-in-law and moved to Sanford Ridge with them in 1982.  She had her own bedroom and living room area on the second floor of the family home and prided herself walking the two-story staircase throughout her 102.5 years.  She was known as Agnes at the Academy, “Yiayia” at Tower Hill and “Shorty” by her great grandchildren.  She and her daughter Yvonne traveled the world with Grand Circle Travel for 10 years (on trips to China, Egypt, Italy, the Rhine River, Morocco, Sicily and Greece) while George went to his homeland Greece every summer.

We will miss you Mother, grandmother and great grandmother.

Donations in Agnes’ honor should be directed to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Wilmington, DE) Building Fund or to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Greek Ladies Society.