Christos (Chris), 89, of Stamford, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2024, with his loving family by his side. Christos was born in Koniditsa, Sparta, Greece to the late Panagiotis and Anastasia (Ganas) Valiotis.
Chris emigrated as a young man in his twenties from Greece to Montreal, Canada, where he met the love of his life, Elefteria (Elle) Papadogiannis. Chris and Elle enjoyed the early years of their marriage in the beautiful city of Montreal before they moved to Connecticut in 1967. They settled in Stamford, Connecticut where they raised their three children close to their extended family and Greek community. His children and their cousins fondly remember him packing them all into his big old convertible every summer and driving them to the beach with the top down for family beach weekends. Many days were spent at Cove Island Park, where Chris engaged in his favorite past-time, fishing, while the entire family made memories that will be cherished forever.
Chris had a beautiful relationship with his oldest daughter, Tasia, and her husband, Craig, who frequently visited him and joined him for long walks at the beach. They shared in his love of gardening, cooking, and home projects. They provided a tremendous amount of support to him in his later years.
Chris was a man of many talents, from carpentry to his love of astronomy, cooking and gardening. Paying homage to his Greek ancestors, he could look up into the sky and tell you what constellations were formed above at any given moment. He was a quiet philosopher, humble but brilliant in mind and soul.
Chris and Elle cultivated the most beautiful gardens that captured the eyes of many passersby. They often competed for the title of the biggest green thumb, but all who knew them knew that they planted their garden together. Chris always planted more vegetables than needed, shared his harvest with friends from church and sent his children to leave packages on the neighbors’ doorsteps. His garden was affectionately called the village garden because there was enough to feed the entire neighborhood. Chris shared his love of gardening with his daughter, Kandianna, showing up with a van full of plants when she bought her first home. To this day, she always feels close to her parents when working in the yard and watching their plants grow.
Chris loved to watch hockey with his son, Peter, and stayed true to his favorite team, the Montreal Canadians. He passed on his love of sports to his son, Peter, and granddaughters, Erismia and Alexandra. He would wake Peter up for 4:00 a.m. practices and would cheer him on during his hockey and baseball games. He loved watching his granddaughters play soccer and enjoyed spending time with his family in Michigan. His granddaughters affectionately called him Pop Chris, and they treasured his stories from when he was a boy in Greece.
Chris worked as a supervisor at Pitney Bowes for over 30 years while also running his successful landscaping business. He worked tirelessly, always putting his family first, but somehow, he was always present for the ones he loved. He never forgot a birthday and called his nieces and nephews with birthday greetings each year. He was the one in the family who always sent cards with sweet notes, often misspelled but written phonetically in his unique Greek way.
Christos was predeceased by his beloved wife Elefteria, his parents, and his brothers, Dimitris and Yiannis. He is survived by his daughters, Tasia Valiotis-Currier and husband, Craig, of Windham, CT, Kandianna Valiotis and partner, Stephen Repass of Coventry, CT, his son, Peter Valiotis, wife Efthimia, of Troy, MI, and beloved granddaughters, Erismia Valiotis, Alexandra Valiotis and Samantha Ouellette. He is also survived by many members of his extended family, including his brother and sisters-in-law and loving nieces and nephews.
Chris was a thoughtful and loving man who adored his children and community, loved God and his church, and lived his life with such love, generosity, acceptance and grace. He was the best husband, father, grandfather, and friend and will be missed by all who knew him.
The family would like to thank the staff at Brookdale Senior Living in South Windsor and Douglas Manor in Windham for their loving care of Chris in the past few years.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 20, 2024, at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 1230 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT. at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at St. John’s Cemetery, Darien, CT. Friends and family may call at the church at 9:00 a.m. before the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in remembrance of Chris to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Ways To Give | Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Stamford or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Online Donations – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Herbert H. Watson, Jr., a Bethel resident for 60+ years, died peacefully at Stamford Hospital on
November 19 after a brief illness. He was 90 years old. He was predeceased by his wife,
Carolyn of 56 years and is survived by his 3 sons (all Bethel High School graduates) and their
families: Rick of Stamford, CT (wife Laura and daughters Caitrin and Taylor), Ken of Fort Walton
Beach, FL (wife Nancy and daughter Shawna) and Jeff of Newtown and Stamford, CT (wife
Cory, daughter Alexandra and son Ben).
Herb’s calling in life was that of volunteering. After growing up in Norwalk, CT, he enlisted in the
US Army at age 18 and fought in Korea. After the war, he and Carolyn married and moved to
Bethel in 1960. While a young father, he served as Cub Scout Leader (Pack 51), Boy Scout
Leader (Troop 167), Little League Baseball coach and Youth Soccer coach. He and Carolyn
were faithful fans at the many Bethel High School and Southern Ct State College sporting
events in which their sons participated.
Herb gave over 17 gallons of blood at Red Cross blood drives. He ran the Norwalk Industrial
Recreation League for many years during his 43-year career as a manager of safety at Nash
Engineering in Norwalk. He also served in various capacities at his church (Danbury Church of
Christ).
In his retirement years Herb cared tirelessly for Carolyn as she struggled with Alzheimer’s
disease. After her passing in 2012, Herb took up writing and penned many short memoirs
about his life for his family and friends to enjoy. In 2016 he moved to Reynolds Ridge Senior
Housing in Bethel and served on the resident advisory board there. At Reynolds Ridge he also
met his dear friend and companion Ursula Alling.
Herb moved to Brighton Gardens senior community in Stamford in October of this year to be
nearer to his family. There he was able to welcome his sons and their families to a large and
joyous gathering several weeks prior to his illness and passing.
Internment with military honors will take place at Willowbrook Cemetery in Westport, Ct at 11
am on Friday December 13. A luncheon and memorial gathering will follow directly at Towne
Parlor (upstairs), 112 Bedford St in Stamford, CT. (A parking lot is available on Spring Street)

Christos (Chris), 89, of Stamford, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2024, with his loving family by his side. Christos was born in Koniditsa, Sparta, Greece to the late Panagiotis and Anastasia (Ganas) Valiotis.
Chris emigrated as a young man in his twenties from Greece to Montreal, Canada, where he met the love of his life, Elefteria (Elle) Papadogiannis. Chris and Elle enjoyed the early years of their marriage in the beautiful city of Montreal before they moved to Connecticut in 1967. They settled in Stamford, Connecticut where they raised their three children close to their extended family and Greek community. His children and their cousins fondly remember him packing them all into his big old convertible every summer and driving them to the beach with the top down for family beach weekends. Many days were spent at Cove Island Park, where Chris engaged in his favorite past-time, fishing, while the entire family made memories that will be cherished forever.
Chris had a beautiful relationship with his oldest daughter, Tasia, and her husband, Craig, who frequently visited him and joined him for long walks at the beach. They shared in his love of gardening, cooking, and home projects. They provided a tremendous amount of support to him in his later years.
Chris was a man of many talents, from carpentry to his love of astronomy, cooking and gardening. Paying homage to his Greek ancestors, he could look up into the sky and tell you what constellations were formed above at any given moment. He was a quiet philosopher, humble but brilliant in mind and soul.
Chris and Elle cultivated the most beautiful gardens that captured the eyes of many passersby. They often competed for the title of the biggest green thumb, but all who knew them knew that they planted their garden together. Chris always planted more vegetables than needed, shared his harvest with friends from church and sent his children to leave packages on the neighbors’ doorsteps. His garden was affectionately called the village garden because there was enough to feed the entire neighborhood. Chris shared his love of gardening with his daughter, Kandianna, showing up with a van full of plants when she bought her first home. To this day, she always feels close to her parents when working in the yard and watching their plants grow.
Chris loved to watch hockey with his son, Peter, and stayed true to his favorite team, the Montreal Canadians. He passed on his love of sports to his son, Peter, and granddaughters, Erismia and Alexandra. He would wake Peter up for 4:00 a.m. practices and would cheer him on during his hockey and baseball games. He loved watching his granddaughters play soccer and enjoyed spending time with his family in Michigan. His granddaughters affectionately called him Pop Chris, and they treasured his stories from when he was a boy in Greece.
Chris worked as a supervisor at Pitney Bowes for over 30 years while also running his successful landscaping business. He worked tirelessly, always putting his family first, but somehow, he was always present for the ones he loved. He never forgot a birthday and called his nieces and nephews with birthday greetings each year. He was the one in the family who always sent cards with sweet notes, often misspelled but written phonetically in his unique Greek way.
Christos was predeceased by his beloved wife Elefteria, his parents, and his brothers, Dimitris and Yiannis. He is survived by his daughters, Tasia Valiotis-Currier and husband, Craig, of Windham, CT, Kandianna Valiotis and partner, Stephen Repass of Coventry, CT, his son, Peter Valiotis, wife Efthimia, of Troy, MI, and beloved granddaughters, Erismia Valiotis, Alexandra Valiotis and Samantha Ouellette. He is also survived by many members of his extended family, including his brother and sisters-in-law and loving nieces and nephews.
Chris was a thoughtful and loving man who adored his children and community, loved God and his church, and lived his life with such love, generosity, acceptance and grace. He was the best husband, father, grandfather, and friend and will be missed by all who knew him.
The family would like to thank the staff at Brookdale Senior Living in South Windsor and Douglas Manor in Windham for their loving care of Chris in the past few years.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 20, 2024, at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 1230 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT. at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at St. John’s Cemetery, Darien, CT. Friends and family may call at the church at 9:00 a.m. before the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in remembrance of Chris to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Ways To Give | Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Stamford or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Online Donations – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital