Mary Georgiou Santas

Mary Santas was born in Rovies, Evoias, October 18, 1934. She grew up there during the war and endured the German and Italian occupations. She moved to Chalkida at the age of 14, where she was engaged by a lawyer called Vasiliou, and she earned a living by being a companion for his elderly mother. The latter was fond of classical music and Mary cultivated a taste for it and continued to enjoy it for many years. She married Constantine in 1954 and they resided in Athens, where he established an English school and where they enjoyed developing their love of music and culture. Mary also spent some time in Lefkada, where Constantine was born and his parents resided, where she developed a lifelong friendship with Eleftheria Grapsas. Mary and Constantine emigrated to America in the 1950’s and 60’s, where they raised their three children, living in various places in Illinois until Constantine was done with his degrees. They started in Dixon, Illinois, where his uncles Michael and George Lazaris helped them settle into their new life here, and with whom and their descendants they maintained a lifelong connection. They moved to Chicago, where Constantine completed his degrees and Mary went to night school to acquire an education, which would allow her to work, as her schooling in Greece had been cut short by the occupation. She landed a job and worked as a bookkeeper at United of America Bank, where she worked for several years. In Chicago they found a thriving Greek community and Mary formed a lifelong bond with her dear friend Aleka Ligdas. When Constantine was offered a faculty position at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, they moved their family there and quickly connected to both the Flagler and Greek communities. They became faithful members and made numerous contributions to the church, the Holy Trinity, throughout their many years in St. Augustine. The friendships she developed there spanned more than 50 years and connections became deeply embedded into her identity. Many of them have moved on or passed away, others remained a deep part of her until the end. In addition to her family life in St. Augustine, Mary worked at Barnett Bank again as a bookkeeper, on the recommendation of her superiors back in Chicago. She also worked part-time at the St. Photios National Shrine. In both her capacity as church member and wife of a faculty member, Mary cultivated a love of cooking and entertaining, not only participating heavily in the Church events like the annual Greek Night and the Greek Festival, but also hosted regular events for friends in the Greek community and those on the Flagler faculty. Mary lived an exemplary life as a loyal and loving spouse, and mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She had an enduring spirit, executing her duties intelligently with meticulous calm and a deep caring for those around her. Her standards for how to go about life were high, but her expectations were always tempered by a playful wit. She is survived by her brother Thanasis Georgiou, her husband, Dino, three children, Christiana, Xenophon, and Aristotelis, daughter-in-law Patricia Santas, three grandchildren, Alethea Searcy, Michael Santas, and Aris Santas, and six great grandchildren, Aleph Anderson, Augustus Santas, Audrey Santas, Orion Searcy, Cora Santas and Atticus Santas. She will be dearly missed. God bless her soul. Funeral service will be held at 10 am on Friday, February 20, 2026 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Visitation will be held from 5-7pm on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at St. Johns Family Funeral Home with trisagion service at 5:30pm.

Mary Georgiou Santas

October 18, 1934 - February 11, 2026