Stefana Vasileff wasn't a world-famous designer, but when it came to spiffing up visiting ambassadors to her home country of Turkey, she had everyone beat.

Mrs. Vasileff was married to Boris Vasileff, chef for several Turkish dignitaries. The pair worked hand in hand: He would cook and Mrs. Vasileff would iron and choose the clothes the traveling officials should wear.

Years after she moved to the United States, Mrs. Vasileff's talent for picking out clothes for government officials crossed over to her own life, her son, Vasil said.

"She had good taste in clothes," he said.

She never wore pants, he said, opting instead for dresses, blouses and skirts.

Mrs. Vasileff died from cancer on July 29. She was 94.

Her life when she passed away was far different from how it stated. Mrs. Vasileff was born Aug. 15, 1912, in the Greek town of Chireshnicha.

When she was a young girl, her parents, who sold milk and yogurt, moved to Istanbul, Turkey. Her family lived on the island of Bukuyada, Vasil said, which is where she went to school. People on the island rely mainly on carriages and horses for transportation, Vasil said.

She met Boris Vasileff at a picnic, and the two married in 1935. In 1974, the couple moved to Denver to live with their son.

"At first, she wasn't happy because it was a new way of life," Vasil said.

But Mrs. Vasileff soon found Greek and Turkish families with whom she talked everyday in the neighborhood.

"After that it was like good, old home," Vasil said.

Mrs. Vasileff learned to love new things when she came to the U.S.

Dogs, for example.

Her reluctance to have a dog in the house while she lived in Turkey was so pronounced that her children decided to play a joke on her once and told her they had brought a dog into their apartment in Istanbul.

"She just freaked out and told us to get the dog out or she wasn't coming in," Vasil Vasileff recalled, laughing.

When she moved in with her son in Colorado, she fell in love with his pets, even letting the dogs sleep on her lap.

"We had four dogs, and she liked every one of them," Vasil said.

Not everything changed, however. In keeping with her old way of life, where she was responsible for maintaining her home, Mrs. Vasileff insisted on doing household chores, even when help was offered.

"She was a strong person," Vasil said. "She wanted to do everything herself."

Mrs. Vasileff was buried Aug. 3 at Chapel Hill Cemetery.

Besides her son Vasil, Mrs. Vasileff is survived by her husband, Boris; another son, Argir Vasileff of Italy; and grandson Andrea Vasileff.

Memorial contributions may be made to Helping Hands, 4643 Frankfort Way, Denver, CO 80039 or The Denver Hospice Uninsured Fund, 501 S. Cherry St., Suite 700, Denver, CO 80246.

morenoi@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2895