Family and friends are mourning Steve James Bratsanos, who died two weeks ago at 89. Here’s the remembrance being shared with the community:

Steve was born July 12, 1926 in Psara, Greece, and passed away August 28, 2015. Loving husband, father, and grandfather. Steve loved his church, his family, and especially his granddaughters. He had a lifelong love of sailboats and the sea. He was patient, kind, never complained, and always had a smile on his face.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Rose; daughter Marianne, son James, daughter-in-law Leslie, and his two granddaughters Amalia and Eliana. He will be greatly missed. Remembrances may be made to the Assumption Church or Philoptochos. Visit greeksinwashington.org/seattle-or-nothing to learn more about Steve’s life. Services were held last weekend. From the program:

Steve (Stamati) was born on the island of Palea Psara, Greece, the youngest of three children. He had a trying life but always kept a smile on his face. As a young teenager, he survived the German occupation of Psara during WWII and its accompanying deprivations. The memory of those tough times stayed fresh through his whole life. He loved his adopted country and was proud of being an American, but his path to citizenship was not easy.

He came to the United States for the first time as a young Greek merchant marine when he was 17 to visit his father, Demetrios, in Norfolk, Virginia. He returned many times on different ships over the next several years, and finally decided to try to stay. He had a month before being deported, and, while accompanying a friend to an Army recruitment office, he learned that if he enlisted in the Army and fought in Korea he would receive his US citizenship. That sounded like a deal worth taking to Steve, so he signed up. He fought on the front line in Korea for 22 months. Upon his return to the US, he was told that he was not eligible for automatic citizenship after all. He continued to fight for the right he felt he had earned, and, eventually, with the help of Senator Magnuson and the V.F.W., he succeeded in obtaining his US citizenship. In the end, it literally took an act of Congress (Private Law 437, of the 83rd Congress, chapter 347-2D session, S.1135, enacted on June 22nd, 1954) to secure his citizenship.

After his service, he continued to work in the US Merchant Marine, traveling the world on the seas that he loved. He returned to Greece in 1957, and, on October 12th, 1958, he married his wife, Rose. They honeymooned on the island of Rhodes, visited relatives in Greece and New York, and eventually settled in Seattle, where Steve had completed his basic training and acquired a love of the Northwest. Steve continued to work in the Merchant Marine after his marriage and through the birth of his first child, Marianne. In 1963, while Rose was pregnant with their son, James, Steve was in a very serious accident off the coast of Alaska. He was swept overboard and had to hold on to the ship with one arm as his other arm was broken in multiple places. While dangling, Steve prayed and promised that if he survived, he would rebuild a church in Greece. As if by a miracle, a wave threw him back onto the ship, leaving him unconscious but alive. Several years later he returned to Psara, and, true to his word, rebuilt the church. After his accident, due to the severity of his injuries, Steve was no longer able to work in the Merchant Marine. From that point on, he dedicated his life to his Church and his family.

He loved his church and spent countless hours there cooking, cleaning, making candles, and painting — he painted both the interior and exterior of the Church several times over. He served as a parish council member and as treasurer, and was an associate member of the Philoptochos. He helped for many years at All Saints Camp on Raft Island.

He loved his wife of 57 years Rose, his children Marianne and James, his daughter-in-law Leslie, and his granddaughters Amalia and Eliana, who showed him great love and joy with the attention they bestowed on him. His granddaughters were special favorites and he welcomed their noise and laughter in his house and often would ask when they were coming over. Children always loved his kind and soft demeanor, his huge smile, and his ever-present Captain’s hat. He loved the sea and being on his sailboats with his family and also loved sharing times on his boats with friends, priests and parishioners, the church youth, and even an occasional visiting bishop. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Maritime Union. He is greatly loved and will be forever missed.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)