Obituary of Mary H. Viel

Mary “Helen” (Soteropoulos) Viel, 97, beloved wife of the late Albert J. Viel, with whom she shared 64 years of marriage, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, January 10, 2021 at her niece’s home. Mary was born in Lewiston, ME, on January 22, 1923 to Theodore and Ioanna (Kargas) Soteropoulos. As an infant, she returned with her family to their village of Eva, Messinia, Greece, where she was raised. Following World War II, in 1946, she returned to the United States to live with relatives in Dover, NH. It was there that she met her future husband Al, and they were married at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on June 2, 1951. In 1954, they moved to Peabody, and built the home in which she and Al would reside in for the rest of their lives together. For a short period, she worked as a technician at CBS Hitron in Danvers, MA, until she attended and graduated from the Fazio Beauty School in 1962. For the next two decades, she worked as a self-employed hairdresser from a beauty shop in her home. Following her retirement, she continued to work alongside her husband as the office manager of Viel Welding Company, until his retirement in 2007. She was a member of St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church. Never having children of their own, Helen and Al’s greatest legacy was helping many members of her family emigrate from Greece. This legacy began in 1956 when she was joined in her home by her brother and sister-in-law, Peter & Matoula Soteropoulos along with their children George & Teddy. In 1970, she brought her niece Joanne from Greece, followed by Joanne’s brothers Teddy in 1971 and Takis in 1985. While Helen showed a great deal of love to her entire family, it was Joanne that she treated as her surrogate daughter. Joanne acted as her caregiver, taking Helen into her home until her passing. As her nieces and nephews had children and grandchildren, they treated Helen as another grandmother and all affectionately referred to her as Yia Yia Eleni. She particularly enjoyed babysitting Joanne’s grandchildren, Ioanna and Christos. Together with her husband, she enjoyed ski trips to the White Mountains, numerous trips to Greece, Florida and the Caribbean, and camping and boating with their friends and family at the Country Shore Camping Area in Kingston, NH. At home, Helen was known for her flowers and vegetable garden, which she cared for through this past summer, along with her love for her cat Lulu. She was a wonderful person and will be missed by all who knew her. Helen is survived by her nieces and nephews: Joanne Venios & her husband Christy of Peabody, Theodore Soteropoulos & his wife Pam of Salem, Takis Soteropoulos & his wife Paula of Peabody, Eleni Dimitriou & her husband Tasos of Oropos, Greece, George Soteropoulos and his wife Kathy of Peabody; her great-nephew and Godson Speros Venios of Peabody; great-niece Dina Kalaitzidis & her husband Demetri and their children Ioanna and Christos of Peabody; her nephew and Godson Thomas Viel & his wife Nancy of Dover, NH, and many other nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her siblings George Soteropoulos, Peter Soteropoulos and his wife Matoula and Dimitri Soteropoulos and his wife Ismini. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather for her funeral on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 11 AM, at St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, Peabody. A visitation will be held at 10 AM at the church. Burial will be in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Peabody. Donations in her memory may be made to St. Vasilios Greek School, 5 Paleologos St., Peabody, MA 01960. Please visit www.ccbfuneral.com for online obituary & sign condolences.