A loving sister, wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother, Stella Biakis, 90, of Myerstown, PA, passed away of natural causes on Monday, April 7, 2025, at Cedar Haven Healthcare Center.

Stella was born in Chania, Greece (Crete), on Feb. 2, 1935, to Anthony and Aphrodite (Leonakis) Costoxenakis, and had one sibling, Helen, whom she adored. The family immigrated through Ellis Island in 1938 and settled in New York City. Upon finishing high school, Stella worked in a bank. She was very fond of cats and, later on, dogs. Some of Stella’s hobbies were knitting and gardening.

On Sept. 18, 1965, Stella married Xenophon Biakis and started a family shortly after. They moved out to Long Island, New York, in the late 1960s, and remained in the house that they had built for them for nearly 30 years. They raised two sons, James and William, there. Stella was home during those years and would often have the neighborhood kids over to play with her sons, where she would serve drinks and snacks. The family moved to Brooklyn, NY, in 1994, where Stella lived before she got married. After her husband, Xen, retired, they moved to Myerstown, PA, in 2003. In 2006, Stella became a grandmother to Maria Biakis, whom she loved spending time with.

Stella was preceded in death by her parents, Anthony (1972) and Aphrodite (1989); sister, Helen (2000); and husband, Xen (2025); and is survived by her sons, James, of Myerstown, PA, and William (Angela), of Greenville, PA; nephew, George Agnos, of Wauconda, IL; niece, Joanna Nouragas, of Melbourne, FL; and granddaughter, Maria, of Bedford, MA.

Visitation will be held at Grose Funeral Home, 358 W. Washington Ave., Myerstown, PA 17067, from 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Humane Society of Lebanon County, 150 N. Ramona Road, Myerstown, PA 17067.

Grose Funeral Home has been serving Myerstown area families for years. We are honored to be a part of the rich history of this community and plan to be a part of it for many years to come.