Donations in Effie's name may be made to The March of Dimes .

Effie Daubenspeck, 100, of Boca Raton, Florida, died at Edgewater Pointe Estates of old age on Monday, March 23rd, 2026.

Efterpe Hadjis affectionately called Effie was born on August 10th, 1925 to Anastis and Mary Hadjis of Princeton, NJ. She grew up in a large and close Ottoman Greek family. She was first generation American. She spoke both English and Pontic Greek and was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church. She enjoyed a peaceful and secure childhood. When she was 16, she contracted polio, spending 2 years in the Newark home for crippled children. She recovered completely. She often spoke warmly of this time and of her love for her roommates and their shared struggle and recovery‎. This experience made her forever grateful for her ability to walk. She refused using a wheelchair up until the final year of her life. She attended Rider college, graduating with honors and went on to become an executive secretary at RCA. Throughout her life she continued to take shorthand. The steno pad being her version of the iPad. She met and married Robert Daubenspeck, a student attending Princeton University on a football scholarship. Their courtship was spent going to games and spending time with friends. She loved the game of football and was a lifelong fan. They had two daughters, Nancy and Joannie. Robert was in advertising. Effie's emotional intelligence, physical beauty and administrative skills were put to good use raising her daughters and supporting her husband in his demanding career. In 1964, like so many couples of this time, Robert and Effie separated. This experience caused her to reflect. She began to set aside time every morning to read and study her Bible. She maintained this practice for the remainder of her life. She and her daughters soon returned to the Princeton area. She accepted a position as the administrative secretary to the Princeton University Athletics Department. Once again, she enjoyed attending and being part of the sports scene in Princeton. She started to dance and found a new community of friends in her fellow dancers. Many years later, after her daughters were grown, she relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The warm temperatures and nearby beach suited her Mediterranean temperament. She and her youngest daughter enjoyed numerous trips to Epcot, Disney world and Sanibel Island. Her favorite way to relax was to sit on the beach in the early morning or at dusk with a book and a cup of coffee. She began to travel, taking short cruises with friends. She took her daughters to Greece, revisiting the coast of Turkey and the history of their maternal family. She started a new career as a sales representative for the ACTS retirement community in Boca Raton. She was passionate about this and deeply believed in the concept of life-care. She moved into the life-care community in Boca when she was 70 and continued in her sales position there for many years.  In her late 80s, she moved to the medical floor where she continued to make friends and do her best to participate and support the community. She was well known as a spokesperson for the rights and feelings of all of the community members and staff. She was not afraid to speak out but she was also well endowed with political savvy and used this wisely. In her last days, she was surrounded by friends and family who knew her and loved her. She died peacefully, her daughter by her side. Her last wish was to have her ashes scattered on the beach in Manasquan, New Jersey where she had vacationed with her family.

Effie Daubenspeck was preceded  in death by her former husband Robert Daubenspeck and her parents Anastis and Mary Hadjis, and is survived by her daughters Nancy Daubenspeck and Joan Hutchison.

Please share your memories of Effie or express condolences to her family through our online guestbook. The online guestbook can be found by scrolling below to the Guestbook box below and clicking on the 'View & Sign' button. You can share your thoughts and memories, upload pictures and/or light a candle.