Mary Matisziw

Mary Matisziw passed unexpectedly on April 28, 2022.

She is the daughter of the late Borys and Olena (Sova) Matisziw, and sister to brother Bohdan (wife Linda) of Chesterfield, Missouri and late brother Boris (wife Gwendolyn) Matisziw of Georgetown, Texas.

Mary held the Best Aunt Ever title with her three nephews and niece: Timothy (wife Kristin) Matisziw of Chesterfield; Andrew Matisziw of Burbank, California; Boris (wife Natasha) of Katy, Texas, and Liana (husband Jeffrey) Palermo of Spicewood, Texas. Also surviving are her great nephews and great nieces: Sam and Mia Matisziw of Chesterfield; Nikolai and Luka Matisziw of Katy; and Gweneth, Xander and Annika Palermo of Spicewood.

As the youngest in the family and the only one in her immediate family to be born in the United States, Mary began her life in Trenton, New Jersey where she graduated in 1978 from Cook College at Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and studied Russian.

As part of a federally sponsored Cook College program, she spent a semester working with marine biologists in the Atlantic Highlands of New Jersey. Shortly thereafter she was recruited to work at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland where she pursued a 32-year career as a Russian Intelligence Analyst.  Mary loved working there and made significant contributions daily in ensuring the security and safety of our nation. She also brought great joy and laughter to her many colleagues and friends throughout the years. Some of her greatest memories were of the three years (1987-1990) she spent working and living in Augsburg, Germany.

Mary retired from the Agency in 2011. She cherished the time she was able to spend visiting and facebooking with friends and relatives. She maintained her faith and religious convictions and was consistently supportive of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church in Trenton, New Jersey even while living abroad and in Maryland.

Mary was a generous soul. She was always sending relatives and friends special presents throughout the year, cooking and sharing many of her favorite dishes, and entertaining friends paired with music, laughter and good food. Easter and Christmas holidays—both Christian and Orthodox dates—were very special to her. In Germany on Easter, she drove her friend dressed in an Easter Bunny costume around the surrounding towns of Augsburg all day long delivering baskets filled with sweets to every child of her multiple colleagues. It was quite a spectacle in the late 1980s to have an American driving a black Cadillac DeVille on cobblestone streets, delivering baskets to Americans and Germans alike with a huge Easter Bunny riding shotgun. And Mary took the polaroid pictures to prove it! Over the Christmas holidays, she thrived at giving ‘just the perfect gift” to her many relatives and friends. The gift, the sentiment and even the packaging were always so beautifully done.

The world will be a little less sweet without Mary and her heartly, contagious laugh will be greatly missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to call at the family owned and operated MCCULLY-POLYNIAK FUNERAL HOME, P. A. on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 pm.  An Orthodox service will be held on Thursday at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests charitable donations be made to the American Diabetes Association, SPCA of Anne Arundel County or the American Cancer Society.