Mary Vallas April 17, 1929 – January 20, 2025
Services for Mrs. Vallas will take place all in one day on Friday January 24th at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 11025 South Roberts Road Palos Hills Illinois 60465. Visitation 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Funeral Service to begin at 11:30 AM. Mary will be laid to rest alongside her beloved Gust at Evergreen Cemetery of Evergreen Park.
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, at https://www.stconstantinehelen.org/ , or the National Hellenic Museum in memory of Mary Vallas at http://NationalHellenicMuseum.org/support/donate/
For information please call Michael Orrico at 815/260-0668


Mary Vallas, 95 of Palos Park, Illinois passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Monday, January 20, 2025. Mary was the beloved and caring wife of Gust Vallas for 71 years. She was the loving mother of Sam (Anastasia), Paul (Sharon), Dean (Renee) and Marianne (Alex) Kountoures. She was the proud and devoted grandmother of Dean, Theo, Alexis, Paul, Gus, the late Mark, Michael, Alysia, Jamie, Evan, Nadia, Elena, and John, as well as the proud great-grandmother of Damon, Benjamin, Eve, Ezekiel, Max, Tino, Jack, and Alexandra.
Mary will be remembered for her fierce love, unwavering loyalty, undaunted strength, and remarkable wit. She offered an open heart filled with understanding to everyone. Her legacy will endure in the love she gave so freely and the bonds she formed with so many.
Mary was born in 1929 to Greek immigrant parents Paul and Georgia Kogos and raised with her late brothers, George, Tom, and John in Chicago. Like so many daughters of Greek immigrants in that era, her life centered on family, church, and community. She married when she was just 20 years old and quickly became a mother. She worked as a typist to support her husband who was attending DePaul University on the G.I. Bill after WWII.
She and Gust found their church home at the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, where in the early years she served as the church secretary working with beloved Father Byron Papanikolaou. As her children grew, she brought her aging mother and father-in-law into her home to care for them during their later years while also working alongside her husband running their family business, Country House Restaurant in Alsip. When her children were grown, she completed her college education and graduated from Governors State University. After her retirement, she became deeply involved with the St. Helen Women’s Philoptochos, working alongside her fellow sisters to provide support to those both within and outside the Greek community. Even in the last years of her life, she remained a staunch champion for many, encouraging everyone from grandchildren to caregivers to have confidence in their abilities and to seek out a life of meaning.
Mary loved dancing the “tsamiko” and is doing so in heaven with her husband Gust, and all the dear relatives and friends who passed before her. Mary will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, at stconstantinehelen.org, or the National Hellenic Museum in memory of Mary Vallas at NationalHellenicMuseum.org/support/donate/ Orrico Kourelis Funeral Services Inc. entrusted with all arrangements.
To share a thought or story about Mary Vallas with the family, please email Marianne Kountoures at mvkountoures@gmail.com.