{"id":288921,"date":"2026-07-07T08:47:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/288921\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T08:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:47:09","slug":"beloved-owner-of-legendary-family-run-nyc-donut-shop-dies-after-33-years-running-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/288921\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved owner of legendary, family-run NYC donut shop dies after 33 years running business"},"content":{"rendered":"

The matriarch of a beloved family-owned Brooklyn pastry shop died last week after spending over three decades slinging donuts and serving locals, according to her next of kin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Donna Siafakas, owner and operator of Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop in Greenpoint<\/a>, died on June 30 at the age of 69, according to an obituary. <\/p>\n

Siafakas\u2019s death was announced with a handmade sign posted on the legendary donut shop\u2019s front door.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Donna Siafakas, 69, owner and operator of Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn died on June 30, family said. D’arienzo Funeral Home<\/p>\n

Siafakas\u2019 death was announced with a handwritten sign on Peter Pan Donuts\u2019 front door. Reddit\/r\/Greenpoint<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be closed Wed, July 8th to honor our beloved Donna,\u201d the handwritten sign \u2013\u00a0which is flourished with a drawing of a dove \u2013 states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Siafakas became proprietor of the long-standing Brooklyn establishment in 1993, purchasing and running the business alongside her husband, Christos.\u00a0The two had previously run a diner together.<\/p>\n

Siafakas became proprietor of the long-standing Brooklyn establishment in 1993, purchasing and running the business along with her husband Christos.\u00a0 Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Their sons Demetri and Spyros joined as soon as they came of age, keeping the business firmly a family affair and unchanging in a rapidly changing neighborhood. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeter Pan at its core is a family institution as Christos and Donna\u2019s sons as well as Donna\u2019s sister take part in baking and serving the donuts and pastries,\u201d according to the pastry shop\u2019s website.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The renowned Brooklyn bakery \u2014 which has been around since the 1950s \u2014 is beloved for its donuts, including both yeast and cake varieties crafted from original recipes developed by the family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The neighborhood staple has even reached national renown \u2013 having been recreated for a scene in the Marvel blockbuster \u201cSpider-Man: No Way Home\u201d starring Zendaya and Tom Holland.<\/p>\n

The renowned Brooklyn bakery is beloved for its donuts, which include both yeast and cake varieties crafted from original recipes developed by the family.\u00a0 Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Longtime customers and well-wishers took to the pastry matriarch\u2019s digital obituary to express their condolences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWalk with the Angels in Paradise where there\u2019s no pain or sickness. Thank you for your Kindness,\u201d posted one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world has lost a truly special person. She touched so many hearts, including mine, and her kindness will never be forgotten,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n

A funeral mass for Siafakas will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The matriarch of a beloved family-owned Brooklyn pastry shop died last week after spending over three decades slinging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[17948,19656,98,2422,57,9,56,63,65,64,58],"class_list":["post-288921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-bakery","tag-baking","tag-brooklyn","tag-greenpoint","tag-metro","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}