4800 E Indian School Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85018
MAFFEO, MARY
Mary Maffeo died in her Phoenix home on Tuesday, July 10, with her family by her side. Mary June Reed was born on January 6, 1921 in Casper, Wyoming. Her happy childhood with parents Royal and Kathleen and sister Margaret (Miggs) was filled with love and support for her passionate interest in the dramatic arts. After a year at the University of Wyoming and with many roles in stage plays under her belt, she married John Maffeo, an Army lieutenant stationed in Cheyenne. Through sixty years of marriage and the raising of seven children, Mary maintained her love of the arts and her passionate commitment to social justice. From support for the U.S. civil rights movement to protests against the injustice of war, Mary was a concerned and motivated activist. She was a dedicated supporter of the programs for children of migrant workers and the Arizona Democratic Party. In 2005 she was inducted into the Arizona Democratic Party Hall of Fame by Janet Napolitano. Mary was also a writer who penned a long-running column on family life for the Arizona Catholic Register. Throughout her long life, Mary inspired her many friends, family, and community with the courage of her convictions and her steadfast belief that peace is possible. Mary’s family is grateful to her loving caregivers and the exceptional team from Hospice of the Valley that provided gentle comfort and family support. Mary is survived by her sister Margaret Laybourn (Bob), children Kathleen Tovar (Leroy), Mimi Cordalis (Jim), John Reed Maffeo (Joan), Robert Maffeo, Martha Mriss (Carl), Mariane Maffeo, Lois Maffeo (Eric), grandchildren Danielle McCausland (Matt), Carrie Tovar, Kelly Cordalis, Selena Larson Maffeo, Devon Larson Maffeo, Emma Muriel and four great-grandchildren. Private arrangements by Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home. A Memorial will be held at a later date.
Dear Mariane and Emma…
We are so sorry to hear of the loss of your Mother and Grandmother – she sounds like an amazing women and very dedicated to her family.
We are here for both of you for anything, anytime!
All our love,
Linda, Don, Kaleigh, & Kiera
For Mary’s Family,
We are mourning Mary’s death in so many ways. Mary was, among her many roles, an important mother figure for Joseph, making her loss all the more difficult to bear. Our thoughts have been with her and with all of her family since the beginning of her decline, and we feel badly not to be able to join you in your family memorial of her life this weekend. The image that Mimi shared of Mary singing with her sister just days before she died helps so much. She was Mary to the end.
Back in the bad old days, when Phoenix was a moral, political and intellectual backwater, and a violent one at that, Mary was among the very few mature adults with the vision and courage to join those of us who were younger in our protests of and resistance to the murderous war. (These day’s it’s difficult to remember that the Vietnamese – not to mention Cambodian or Laotian – death toll was more than 3.5 million – savage mass murder.)
Among the memories of Mary that we look forward to writing about are her amazing smile that lit up her face and how she represented us in Paris when she met with the diplomats negotiating the end of the war – and that bottle of Chateau Neuf de Pape that she brought back to be saved for our toast the war would eventually end. (We did drink and savor that bottle together end of the war and to this day it sits on a bookshelf in Joseph’s study.)
There was that dramatic room scene in the Federal Court House when Mary courageously challenged her long-time friend Judge Carl Meuke as he was about to sentence Andy Harank to prison for draft resistance. Mary stood in the gallery and asked to address the court. Her request was denied. So she stood up again and said “Carl, in the name of our thirty year friendship, may I address the court.” Her friend ordered the room to be cleared, and Andy was taken down the back stairwell, beaten along the way.) And on a lighter note there was leisure time with Mary and John in London, including drinking British beers at Cheyenne pub just down the street from our flat.
We are all lucky to have had Mary in our lives. On the 21st, sad not to be with the Maffeo’s to be talking and singing her spirit home, we’ll drink a toast and leave a tear or three in her memory. Mary Maffeo presente!
The Japanese have a saying: Okage sama de (I am who I am because of you.)
Thank you Mary. Thank you Maffeos.
With sympathy and love,
Joseph & Lani Gerson