Obituary of Anna Kostopoulos

Anna Lidia Brancaccio was born on February 6th, 1955 at home in Naples, Italy. There were complications, but newborn Anna survived after her mother prayed to Saint Anna. At three years old she immigrated to the United States with her family to pursue a life of opportunity. Anna grew up in Inwood with her 9 brothers and sisters, developing her signature spunky and rebellious personality. Anna would always recount stories of her upbringing and adolescence with her vibrant and quirky sense of humor. She developed a trademark resiliency, and a belief in accepting and appreciating things for what they are — however challenging or imperfect. As a young woman, Anna was energetic and adventurous. She loved dancing and disco music. She was an extremely efficient airline secretary — a job that led her to travel far and wide, including to Pakistan. Throughout her youth, Anna prayed for the strength and wisdom she’d need to build the life she knew she wanted. While vacationing in Italy, she bought a small figurine of the Blessed Mother, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. “This is everything my heart wants,” Anna thought at the time, and repeated to her daughter decades later after giving her the same small statue, with wishes that she would also dream of and pray for and receive everything that she wants. When Anna met Peter Kostopoulos, her whole life changed. “We just clicked,” she would say. Anna and Pete found something in each other that they had never experienced before. They married and started a life together — one that would take them through all the shared joys, struggles, laughter and wonderment of life-long love. They had three children — Pauline, Nick, and Christina — and devoted their lives to building a loving family. Anna’s personality and philosophies defined her style of motherhood and family-building. She loved God and taught her children how to pray. She organized her household with the systematic efficiency of a veteran secretary. Her warmth, humor, and irreverent wit set the tone for a household filled with laughter and emotion. She encouraged communication, conversation, and quality time. She didn’t shy away from arguments or confrontation; Love and honesty were more important. She was an excellent cook, although she was usually too self-deprecating to admit it. She was the best hostess, and anyone who ever felt the energy of an Anna-hosted event would agree. Through all of life’s twists and turns, Anna’s love for God never wavered. But she grew closer to Jesus in her later years, as she and Peter came to know their faith more intimately than ever before, and learned the truth of God’s love. "God and his mercy sent laborers to plant seeds of truth in my heart,” Anna said before her baptism in February 2022 at Neighborhood Assembly of God, the church community that she always wanted, and found. “I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life, and everything changed. My sin nature died with him and I have become new.” Her words and delivery were riveting, and the congregation applauded her. After an arduous battle with ovarian cancer, Anna died peacefully and surrounded by family on October 26, 2022. Anna’s love for her family, and her family’s love for her, knows no beginning or end. We will love her forever.