Catalina “Katina” Kefalinos of Zakynthos, Greece died peacefully at age 93 on May 18, 2024 at St. John’s Riverside Hospital. 

Katina was born on August, 25, 1930 in Zakynthos , the eldest daughter of Demetria “Tula” and Youlios Rapsomanikis. The family of eight spent over a decade in their homeland before moving to Buenos Aires, Argentina when Katina was a teenager. While most of her family remained in Argentina, Katina boldly struck out on her own and moved to New York where she met her beloved husband, Vasilios Kefalinos. They met at a local dance organized for Greeks from Zakynthos and the rest was history. They were married on Father’s Day, June 17, 1962. Together, they built Bill’s business, the popular neighborhood spot Lafayette Bakery, located in the heart of the west village. They had two children, Ted and Julia Kefalinos, who spent their adolescence going to school, helping at the bakery, and taking summers in Greece with their extended family. Katina and Bill lived together at their home in the Bronx until Bill died in 2002. 

After his death, Katina, a resilient and loyal hard worker, continued to work at the bakery with her son Ted until the business closed in 2012. She spent her remaining years living with her son and enjoying visits from her daughter, grandchildren, and surviving siblings, all of whom she loved deeply. 

Katina is survived by her children, Ted and Julia, her son-in-law Wilfredo Allen, her grandchildren Katerina Allen-Kefalinos and Wilfredo Allen-Kefalinos, and her three remaining siblings, Teresa Rapsomanikis, Penelope Kalogerias, and Dionisios Rapsomanikis. 

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, and siblings John Rapsomanikis and Crystalia Patsouris. 

A gathering of family and friends will be held in honor of Catalina on Friday, May 24, 2024 from 4 to 7 pm at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral home with a reception to follow. Interment private.