Mary (Maria) Lekas Costas

Mary (Maria) Lekas Costas was born in Orlando, Florida, on December 23, 1930, to Thomas Basil Lekas originally of Sparta, Greece, and Anastasia Demopoulos Lekas originally of Constantinople, Turkey. She fell asleep in the Lord on October 16, 2023.

Mary was the beloved wife of Peter John Costas, whom she met during a Sunday afternoon visit with her parents at the home of Peter’s uncle, Theodore Peter Costas, Sr. Peter had arrived in the United States from Europe in 1949, after fighting in and surviving World War II. Peter and Mary were married for 69 years. They had no children, and Mary was an only child.

Mary was predeceased by her parents and her beloved husband, Peter. Survivors include her first cousin John Demopoulos (Barbara) of Winter Park, FL, and numerous cousins and extended family members who will fondly remember her energy, kindness, humor, and beauty.

Mary was an active member of the Girl Scouts in the early 1940s and aided in their patriotic war efforts. She attended Enochs Junior High School and was a member of the glee club and the band. She was a member of and served as president of the Junior MacDowell Music Club. She was an incredibly gifted musician. One of her many accomplishments was her piano recital in Nelson Auditorium at Mississippi College in 1949. She graduated from Central High School in 1949, where she was the harpist with the Central High School Concert Band. She was also the harpist with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra under conductor Theodore Russell for the 1947–1950 seasons. Mary won a superior rating from the Mississippi Federation of Music Clubs for five consecutive years and was awarded a piano scholarship for advanced studies. She played several other musical instruments and excelled in ballet and tap.

Mary earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Millsaps College in 1967 and later taught Spanish at Jackson Preparatory School. She took additional classes in the Millsaps music department – organ, music history, voice and choir and was a member of the Millsaps Singers. She and Peter were active in Millsaps College alumni activities.

Mary was fluent in English, Greek and Spanish and due to her great love of opera, pursued a study of French and Italian. She was very involved in the Jackson metro community. Mary served as organist and conductor at the Greek Orthodox Church in Jackson, Mississippi and later joined Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church in Madison, Mississippi.

Mary was loved by many who appreciated her kind spirit and artistic gifts. She cherished her numerous pets throughout the years, most recently their rescue dog, Harley. Peter and Mary enjoyed worldwide travel until declining health prevented them from continuing their journeys. She was a two-time breast cancer survivor and maintained a positive attitude with abiding faith, which was an inspiration to all who knew her and other cancer patients and survivors.

Mary resided at St. Catherine’s Village for the last few years of her life. The excellent care provided by St. Catherine’s and the staff at Baptist Medical Center is deeply appreciated. The family will forever be grateful for the endless time spent and compassionate care provided by Brandy Quinn, Susan Copeland, Lakeisha Green, Patricia Carter, Davada Holiday, Gail Boyd and Cassandra Smith, caregivers of Mockingbird Comfort Care.

Visitation will be on Friday October 20, 2023, in the church at 12:30 pm with the funeral service to follow at 2:00 pm at Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church, 180 St. Augustine Drive Madison, MS 39110.

In lieu of flowers, donations honoring Mary may be made to Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church, PO Box 2084 Madison, MS 39110, or the charity of your choice.