Mary Mavromatis Pavlides

April 1, 1929 – March 1, 2021

Mary Pavlides (née Mavromatis) departed this life surrounded by her family on March 1, 2021. Mary was born on April 1, 1929 in Zanesville, Ohio. At age five, Mary moved to Athens, Greece with her mother and siblings, and remained there for the duration of World War II. Those who knew her will never forget Mary’s harrowing stories of growing up in Nazi-occupied Athens during the war, where her mother sold nearly everything they owned to buy food. Her oldest brother, Andrew, died in an Athenian hospital before the war ended. When Mary returned to America, she had not seen her father in five years. The family relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, because the climate was said to be favorable for her other siblings, John and Helen, who were in ill health. Unfortunately, Helen died at age eighteen, and John died only a few months later, at age twenty-six, following a car accident. Mary was only twenty-three years old. She quickly fell in love with Albuquerque’s climate that reminded her so much of Greece. She graduated from Albuquerque High School and enrolled in accounting classes at UNM. She and her husband, Miller, operated Pavlides Accounting in Albuquerque, where she worked until she retired. Mary and her family were among the founders of Albuquerque’s St. George Greek Orthodox Church. Her father, George, donated an icon of St. George the dragon-slayer that still hangs in the narthex of the church. For over twenty years, Mary spent her summers with the “Baklava Chicks,” baking pastries for St. George’s annual Grecian Festival. Patrons of the Grecian Festival remember her with a smile on her face as she worked tirelessly at the pastry booth and watched her grandkids dance. Mary had a heart for helping others. She was a member of the St. George Philoptochos Society, and spent her early retirement delivering for Meals on Wheels. Her two greatest loves were her church and her family. She was particularly fond of her grandchildren, and taught them that education was the key to unlocking their potential. She was so proud to watch them finish college and Graduate school. Mary is preceded in death by her parents, Fotini and George; siblings, Andrew, John, and Helen; and husband of twenty-five years, Miller. She is survived by her children, John (Carol) and Daphne Helen Vaccarello (Tom); grandchildren, Christopher (Alexandra), Daniel, Andrew, Alyssa, and Mary Helen; and great-grandchildren, Aquilina and Nikolai. The Trisagion will be held on Monday, March 8, at 10:00 a.m. at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 308 High Street SE, followed immediately by the funeral service. Burial will follow at Fairview Memorial Park, 700 Yale Blvd. SE. All are welcome to attend. Due to the current public health order, seating is limited to 112 people, and will be first come, first seated. The cemetery is also open to all, with social distancing and masks required. Pallbearers will be her grandsons, Christopher and Daniel Vaccarello, and Andrew Pavlides; Steve Vatoseow; Rex Delaney; and Jerry Lackey. The family wishes to thank the wonderful women who took excellent care of Mary at the end of her life, Stella, Aimee, Maria, and Nicole. Mary’s kind heart and generous spirit will never be forgotten. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Mary’s honor to the St. George Philoptochos Society.