Obituary of Renee Jean (Velentjas) Maravelias

Renee Jean (Valentjas) Maravelias, 96, of Peabody, died peacefully early Tuesday morning surrounded by her family after a short illness. She was the devoted wife of the late Theodore Maravelias who died in 1988. She was born in Lynn, MA on June 13, 1914, the daughter of the late Constantine and Helen (Kostopoulos) Velentjas and was raised and educated there graduating from Lynn Classical High School. She had resided in Peabody for the past 26 years. While residing in Lynn, she was a member of the Lynn Civic Music Museum and had served as chairwoman for many years for the Concerts at Lynn City Hall. She had been an ardent reader and enjoyed going to the opera and symphonies in Boston and the North Shore. Rene loved playing bridge and held the title as a junior life master in Duplicate bridge and enjoyed going to bridge tournaments. While living in Lynn, she had been a Member of St. George Greek Orthodox Church and was a member of the Philopothos Society there for many years. Her greatest joy was the love and devotion she shared with her grandchildren and her great grandchildren who revered and respected her deeply as the Matriarch of the Maravelias family. She is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Cynthia Parianos and her husband, Dr. John Parianos of Peabody, and Elaine Papandreou and her husband Charles of Beverly, a son and daughter-in-law, James and Donna Maravelias of Topsfield, her cherished seven grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren of which ten will be entrusted as her Pallbearers. A Visitation will be held on Friday at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility from 9:30 to 10:30 AM followed by Services in St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, Peabody at 11:00 AM. Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn. Expressions of sympathy may be made to St. Vasilios Altar Fund, 7 Paleologos St., Peabody, MA 01960 or to Partners Hospice, 281 Winter St., Suite 200, Waltham, MA 02451 on her memory.