Mary Maneatis Shurtz
February 15, 1927 - June 22, 2017
Mary Maneatis Shurtz passed away on June 22, 2017 from complications related to a chronic illness. She is survived by her son Tom Maneatis (Beverly), sister Vivian Hangaris, former husband James Maneatis, grandchildren Elaine Buffum (Josh) and James Maneatis, and five great-grandchildren: Hadley, Aubrey, Quincey, Calvin & Ellery. She is also survived by her stepsons John, Mike and Tom Shurtz (Sandra) and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and step-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents Peter and Helen Hangaris, her brother Gus Hangaris, and her husband Jack Shurtz. She touched many people with her warm and caring personality and will be remembered with much love and affection by those who had the privilege of knowing her.
Mary was born on February 15, 1927 in Oakland, California to Greek immigrant parents. She grew up in a very loving home, and family was always important to her from an early age. She graduated from Oakland High School and then attended Armstrong Business College where she learned accounting and bookkeeping skills, which helped her in her future work. During WWII, she met her first husband who was a naval officer stationed in the San Francisco Bay Area before shipping out to the Pacific. They were married in 1946, and she became a mother in 1948 with the birth of her only child, Tom. Even though she viewed motherhood as her most important role, she was also active in her family’s baking business, Athens Bakery. Following the tragic death of her only brother in 1962, she and her sister successfully ran the baking company, and it expanded under their leadership.
In 1983, Mary married Jack Shurtz, and they had eleven and a half happy years together before he was killed in an automobile accident. With the sale of Athens Bakery in 1986, Mary retired, and she enjoyed having more time to spend with family and friends. In 1991, she lost her home in the Oakland Hills fire. Even though virtually all of her possessions were destroyed, her resilient nature allowed her to successfully put her life back together and to have a lovely new home built.
Throughout her life Mary put her family first. She was a very loving and attentive mother and grandmother and was also blessed to see great-grandchildren. She loved to cook and to travel. One of her most memorable trips was a four-month journey around the world with her sister.
Mary had an impeccable sense of style and loved interior design. She was a beautiful and elegant lady in her appearance as well as in her heart. People loved to be around her because she was so warm, friendly and engaging. She was proud of her Greek heritage, and her Greek Orthodox faith was very important to her.
In her final years, Mary was no longer able to participate in many of the enjoyable activities of life. However, her family and friends can focus on the wonderful years in the past when she lived life to the fullest.
Visitation begins at 5pm followed by a Trisagion Service at 7:30pm on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at Sneider & Sullivan & O’Connell’s Funeral Home, 977 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA. Funeral Service will be held at 11am on Thursday, June 29, 2017 at Church of the Holy Cross, 900 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont, CA. Reception to follow. Entombment at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA.
Donations may be sent in her name to Church of The Holy Cross or to an Alzheimer’s Disease charity.