On Monday, August 8th, Dr. Stella Bicouvaris Kontras, of Upper Arlington, OH, a highly regarded physician and professor emeritus of medicine at The Ohio State University, passed away at age 95 in her home, following a long and trail blazing life. Stella (Steliani) was born on June 28th, 1928 to Greek immigrants, Gregorios Bekouvarakis, originally from Sfakia, Crete, and Ourania (Pondikakis) Bekouvarakis of Halepa, Chania, Crete, whose father was an esteemed priest and leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in Chania. Stella loved recounting her amazing family history which included Greek Resistance fighters during WWII. Stella spoke no English until first grade when a loving teacher helped her in Newport News, VA (her place of birth) where her parents settled via Ellis Island.

Stella was preceded in death by her parents, and both siblings, Demetrios "James" Bicouvaris of Newport News, VA, and Georgia Bicouvaris Pryor of Columbus, OH, and her beloved Godmother, Mrs. Anna Kumas.

Stella was married for 42 years to her adoring and proud husband Konstantinos "Gus" Kontras of Columbus, OH, until his passing in 1988. Together they shared their Hellenic heritage and Greek Orthodox Faith, raised three children, navigated demanding careers, and traveled the world together. Gus enthusiastically supported Stella's medical career at a time when women in medicine was still considered unconventional. After Gus's death, she later married Matthew Korson of Washington, DC and Clearwater, FL, which lasted 24 years until his passing in 2014. They enjoyed the opera, traveling and spending time in sunny Florida.

Stella is survived by her children Constance Kontras of Upper Arlington, OH, Gregory Kontras (Paula Brooks) of Upper Arlington, OH, and Katherine Kontras-Glaser (Adam Glaser) of Tucson, AZ, and her stepdaughters, Irene Holt, Koula Mechelis, Marietta Limber, and Antoinette Nicholas all of the Washington, DC area.

Yiayia Stella leaves behind granddaughter Melina Kontras-Glaser of Tucson, AZ, grandson Evan Kontras of Columbus, OH, granddaughter Lena Kontras Evangelou (Dan) of Columbus, OH, and great grandchildren Kyla, Steliani, Konstantinos, and Stamatios. She cherished many loving nieces, nephews, friends, family, step grandchildren and Godchildren here, and in Greece.

Dr. Stella Kontras led many efforts to improve the lives of countless patients, families, and students as both an MD and professor at Nationwide Children's Hospital Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and Department of Pediatric Genetics, and at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and in the OSU Department of Psychiatry. She also served her community in private practice settings, including Access Ohio Mental Health Centers, and Ohio Psychiatric Hospital where she continued her work even after her first retirement.

At the age of only 19, Stella finished her undergraduate degree in biology at the Ohio State University in 1948 in three years' time. She then completed her master's degree in anatomy, and continued on to graduate from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1953. She then completed her residency and fellowship in pediatrics. She practiced medicine for over 63 years until the age of 88, even lecturing here and overseas on the emerging field of genetics. She had many wonderful colleagues with whom she wrote and published over 80 medical articles, leading cutting edge genetic research while caring for sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, and thalassemia disorder patients. Her photo is one of those on Nationwide Children's Hospital's Wall of Honor in Wolfe Auditorium, having received their Career Contribution Award. She received the Alumni Teaching Award from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and several teaching awards for excellence in training medical students. At that time, Stella was the youngest ever to reach the tenure milestone within the OSU College of Medicine. She was a strong women's advocate in her field and was very proud to have been the first woman professor appointed to the OSU Medical College's admissions committee, especially because she was only one of three women in her own graduating class. Stella later attended Capital University Law School in order to broaden her knowledge and further her understanding of medical legal issues.

Stella went on to complete a second fellowship in child psychiatry while in her 50's, thereafter serving numerous young patients struggling with mental health and developmental conditions, while training and encouraging countless OSU medical students for this challenging field of practice. She was a member of many professional societies, including the Central Ohio Chapter of Women in Psychiatry.

Over the course of her life, Stella visited Greece with her family, returning many times. She also enjoyed exploring the world and traveled abroad numerous times to 53 total countries across six continents. Stella delighted in different foods, customs, and beautiful scenery and looked forward to planning details of each trip and immersing herself and her family in new cultures.

Stella was a member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio and always honored her Hellenic roots, religion, culture, and traditions. Stella was a lifelong Buckeye! An OSU President's Club Member and avid Buckeye football fan throughout the decades who loved attending games, she generously shared tickets with friends and family for that incredible experience at "The Shoe!"

Stella's family, koumbaroi and friends will miss her dearly and cherish her always. The family thanks her devoted caregiver, Ms. Victoria and Hospice of Central Ohio.

Visitation will take place on Sunday, August 13th, 2023, at O.R. Woodyard Northwest Chapel, 2990 Bethel Road, Columbus, Ohio, 43220 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM with the Trisagion service beginning at 1:00 PM.

The funeral and celebration of our beloved Stella will occur at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 555 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 on August 14th, at 10:30 AM, with burial immediately following at Union Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 555 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, or OSU Alumni Fund, or your Nationwide Children's Hospital fund of choice.