Maria G. Pegadiotes, 82, passed away peacefully at her home in Rosemead, California on November 16, 2019.

Maria was born on July 6, 1937 in Sparta, Greece to Stamatiki and Evangelos Kapitsas. She was the third oldest of her siblings, joining Theodora (+) and Panayotis, and later joined by Dimitris (+). Although her childhood coincided with the difficult events of World War II and the Greek Civil War, the adversities she faced made her a resilient and compassionate person.

Industrious from a young age, she started working at a pharmacy at the age of 13 and within a few years she had saved up enough money to buy a parcel of land in town.

In 1961 she married George S. Pegadiotes and moved to the United States with him shortly after their wedding. After several years they opened a restaurant together, where she worked full time while also raising her family.

Maria was involved with parish activities in Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church in Pasadena, including volunteering for the Philoptochos and baking bread for the annual church festival.

Maria loved the time she spent with her family, especially her grandchildren, each of whom she adored. In her retirement she and George spent time with family both in the United States and in Greece, where, in the 1980s, they built an apartment on the land Maria bought as a teenager.

She will be remembered for her wit and humor, and her generosity and kindness to family, friends, and strangers alike.

She is survived by her loving husband of 58 years, George, her beloved children Dena (Nikitas+) Tripodes, Stelios (Yianna) Pegadiotes, and Helen (Christos Livanos), and her grandchildren: Zacharias, Marika, and Georgia Tripodes; Maria, George, Adamandia, Vasilis, Ariadne, and Nicholas Pegadiotes; and Alexandra, Maria, and Stephanie Tangalos and Georgio and Paris Livanos.

Donations in Maria's memory can be made to Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church Building Fund.

Trisagion and funeral services will be held together on Friday, November 22, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. at Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church, 778 S. Rosemead Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91107, followed by interment at San Gabriel Cemetery.

Arrangements under the direction of Chapman Funeral Homes - Terry & Mary Harmon, Funeral Directors. Toll free (855) 628-0447.

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Obituary notice for Chapman Funeral Homes. Please visit www.chapmanfuneraldirectors.com .

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