Obituary of Mary E. (Theodore) Skarmeas

Mary Theodore Skarmeas, 86, of Danvers, died peacefully Sunday morning after a lengthy illness. She was born on March 7, 1933, in Chelsea, the daughter of Alice Clarke Theodore and Alexander Theodore. She was the twelfth child of thirteen siblings and attended St. Rose School in Chelsea through graduation in 1951. After high school, Mary went to work as a telephone operator in Boston. In 1960, Mary married Peter Arthur Skarmeas and together they had four children, residing first in Chelsea and later moving to Danvers. Mary was a full-time mother for more than twenty-five years. In 1986, when her youngest child graduated from high school, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of entering college. She earned an Associate’s degree from Northshore Community College, and then moved on to Suffolk University where, in 1995, she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature at the age of 62. After graduation, Mary remained an avid reader and a lifelong learner, and also worked as a part-time freelance writer. Family was always Mary’s first priority. She cherished her memories of growing up in Chelsea, and loved her twelve siblings and their spouses, and was especially proud of her dozens of Theodore nieces and nephews. A devoted mother to her own four children, Mary was thrilled to become an involved and loving grandmother to seven. She was also a talented quilt maker, and a lover of music, theater, movies and the Boston Celtics. Mary leaves behind her four children, Arthur Skarmeas and his wife Lyn of Danvers, Paul Skarmeas and his wife Kelley Lederer of North Grafton, Massachusetts, Nancy Skarmeas and her husband Paul MacDonald of Contoocook, New Hampshire, and Kathy Skarmeas Kristoff and her husband Rob of Danvers, Massachusetts, along with her seven beloved grandchildren, Peter Skarmeas, Gordon MacDonald, Alexandra Skarmeas, Nicholas Skarmeas, John Skarmeas, Fiona MacDonald and Lucy Kristoff. She was predeceased in 2014 by her husband of 54 years, Peter A. Skarmeas. Visiting hours will be held on Saturday from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM followed by her Funeral Service at 12:00 PM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St, Peabody to which relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Burial will be in Wadsworth Cemetery, Summer St, Danvers. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St, Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923.