Obituary of Mary Callas

Mary Callas, a longtime resident of Huntington, beloved neighbor, friend, Flower Hill elementary school teacher and mentor to many, passed away in her daughter’s home in South Carolina on the 8th of September, at the age of 92.

   The epitome of a first-generation American, Mrs. Callas was born Mary Joanou to a hard-working Greek immigrant family in Bridgeport, CT, and was schooled, formally and informally, in the City of Bridgeport schools and in her solid Greek community and diverse neighborhoods.

   Possessing a natural musical and theatrical talent, Mary began singing on stage in her high school years and soon was recruited to attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she excelled in opera as a coloratura soprano.  Her most illustrious operatic singing venues along the way were Carnegie Hall and The White House.

   Mary met and married George P. Callas, a young engineer who would later work for NASA and Grumman Aerospace, helping manage production of the “Lunar Exclusion Module” used in the first moon landing in 1969.

   With singing having become only her second love, Mary (who, as an opera singer with the married name “Callas,” could not resist adopting the name “Maria” by which most people knew her) bore and raised her two children – the late Peter J. Callas of Great Barrington, MA, and Michele C. Morin of Lake Wylie, SC, in whose home she lived until her death.  Maria’s husband George had passed away in 1984.  From Michele’s family came Maria’s five adoring grandchildren (aged 40 to 31 at her death) and three great grandchildren (aged 6 to 11).

   In addition to her family, Maria leaves a long list of people – friends, relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances – each of whom, from the moment they met her, knew that they were accepted and loved by her.  Her style, graciousness, kindness and generosity were well known, and her passing is a cause of sorrow for many.

   Funeral services for Maria will be held on Thursday, September 20, at M. A. Connell Funeral Home, Huntington Station, NY, with visiting hours beginning at 9:30 AM