Mary Ann Kosan

Mary Ann Kosan (née Pappas), age 92, of Benbrook, Texas, passed away on March 21st, 2024. Born in Garden City, Kansas on July 4th, 1931, she loved sharing her birthday with the United States and invariably wore red, white, and blue each July. She was a beloved wife, mother, and friend to many.

Mary Ann marched to the beat of her own drum. Feisty and lovable, she lived life on her terms. She was proud of her Greek heritage but preferred the Anglican church to Greek Orthodox. She held an abiding faith in God and adored guardian angels, several representations of which she posted throughout the house. Mary Ann was a collector of dolls, antiques, and folk art from around the world. She valued nutrition and loved all things natural, especially plants and animals.

In her youth, Mary Ann spent time in Philadelphia, Portland, and Denver. In 1963, she toured Greece, Jerusalem, and the pyramids of Egypt. She loved music and dancing. For a time she was a Ballroom Dance Instructor for Arthur Murray Studios. In 1966, she was living in Denver, Colorado, selling cosmetics and working for a travel agency when she met her future husband Fikret at a dance. Mary Ann and Fikret hit it off immediately and were married on March 30th, 1967 in a civil ceremony. Her funeral service commemorates their 57th wedding anniversary. She will be buried in a wedding gown, something she never had the opportunity to wear in life!

Mary Ann and her husband moved to Turkey in 1967. During this time, they visited the villages of her Greek ancestors and the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. In 1971 they moved to Omaha, Nebraska to be closer to her aging parents. They also lived for several years in Las Cruces, New Mexico before settling in Benbrook, Texas.

In 1968, while in Frankfurt, Germany on a business trip, Mary Ann experienced the traumatic early birth of a stillborn child in a hospital where nobody spoke English. Five miscarriages and nine years later, she gave birth to her only child Gem Ari at the age of 46.

She is survived by her husband Fikret, her son Gem, and her daughter-in-law Sarah. Mary Ann was preceded in death by her half-brother, Chris Manasis, her father Sam G. Pappas, her mother Chrysanthe (Macreathu) Pappas, her sister Eve Bates, her brother George Pappas, and her sister Maggie Dodd.

A service in honor of Mary Ann Kosan will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Garden City, Kansas, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 30th. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery in Garden City. The family suggests memorials given to St. Thomas Episcopal Church in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 412 N. 7th St., Garden City, Kansas 67846. Condolences may be given at garnandfuneralhomes.com.