Stella Verven Kalemeris

Stella Kalemeris died on August 12, 2026, at her home in Albuquerque, leaving the world in which she lived for 99 and a half years.

Born Stella James Verven in Poughkeepsie, NY, to James and Pitsa Trampas Verven shortly after they immigrated from the Peloponnesus region of Greece, she grew up in Poughkeepsie's tight knit Greek community with her siblings, cousins Effie and Daisy Verven and many friends. She deftly navigated the dual responsibilities of first generation children, who had to both preserve their cultural heritage and become assimilated Americans. She was immersed in all the activities of the Greek Orthodox Church. She learned Greek history, the traditional dances and customs, and spoke, read and wrote Greek fluently. On the American side, she was a top student throughout her public school education.

Her childhood and adolescence were defined by the Great Depression and Second World War. She graduated with Poughkeepsie High School class of 1944, an event that marked the departure of most of the boys to fight the war. Several did not come back, including a very special friend who was killed at the Battle of the Bulge.

After high school she embarked on a seven-year career at the Poughkeepsie Journal newspaper. On November 4, 1951, at the Greek Orthodox Church in Poughkeepsie, she married Soterios Kalemeris of Peekskill, NY. She moved there, contributed to the Baby Boom, and took on the role of wife and mother, happily channeling the likes of June Cleaver, Harriet Nelson, Donna Reed and all the other perfect TV housewives of the era. She loved that role and gave her children the quintessential Baby Boomer childhood: a kid-centered universe, complete with all the classic toys and experiences that hallmarked that generation.

She was a born leader. She joined the Hellenic Ladies Society, a philanthropic group of Greek women, and served as president for several terms. The Thursday night "meetings" with her dear friends Pauline Piliouras, Georgia Anton, Freda Voonasis, Athena Kerasiotis and all the other good Greek ladies of Peekskill were a hoot! Along with her very good friend Ellen Rinzivillo, she signed up for Den Mother with Uriah Hill Cub Scout Pack #20. They took an unorthodox approach to their duties and their escapades often left the Cub Master speechless. She was a force to be reckoned with: in 1963 she organized the class parents into a unified front to remove her son's woefully inadequate fourth grade teacher from her position, taking on the school board and powerful teachers union in the process. The name Mrs. Singer (the stringent replacement teacher) became emblematic of her victory, and she invoked it frequently over the next 60 years.

When her children were old enough to fend for themselves she joined the family business, which was, of course, restaurants. Over the next two decades she did every job from waitress to short order cook to manager. Her sharp mind worked overtime behind the scenes as she calculated income and expenses, profits and losses, weekly payroll, monthly sales tax and all the other financial details that keep a business going. And all at a time before electronic spreadsheets were even an idea.

After her husband died she moved to Clifton, VA, and then to Rio Rancho. In New Mexico, she found a new Greek community with the same closeness and family spirit as the one in which she grew up. She attended St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Albuquerque, and was a member of their chapter of the Ladies Philoptochos Society.

She is survived by her children Maria Paulson and Arthur Kalemeris, grandsons Jason and Stephen Paulson and their wives Blair and Deborah respectively, great-grandchildren Evan, Joshua, Stella, Brooklyn, Dean and Scarlett Paulson, sister-in-law Georgia Verven, nieces Patricia Miller, Patricia Uhl, Nancy Simou, nephew Stephen Verven, godchildren Byron Piliouras and Patricia Pappas, and her little buddy, Leo.

She was predeceased by her husband, sons-in-law Richard Paulson and Kenneth Hall, brothers Stephen and Angelo Verven, sister Electra Danko, nephews Jamie Verven and John Danko, sister-in-law Maria Verven and brother-in-law John Danko.

Her children extend their sincere appreciation to the Ambercare Hospice team that provided such competent, comprehensive and gentle care for their mother over many months. They were the bright light that illuminated the path of her final journey.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Albuquerque.