Maryann G. Wall

MaryAnn Gabor Wall, 86, of Wilmington North Carolina was called to her rest with the Lord on April 3, 2026. She was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania on April 1, 1940 to Andrew Michael Gabor and Mary Warchol Gabor.

She graduated from Aliquippa High School in 1958 where she was a cheerleader and in the band. She was an active youth member of the Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Church in Ambridge, PA, and sang with her mother and sister in the choir. After graduation, MaryAnn continued in the family business and joined her mother, Mary, and sister Marty in her mother’s hair salon. She later taught beauty school in Martin Anthony School of Beauty Culture. She left teaching to have a family and follow her first husband in the Navy. She was a crossing guard, hostess and waitress before settling into retail sales with Belk in Winston Salem and then in Wilmington NC. She worked at Belk for 40 years in the Children’s department, specializing in girl scouts, boy scouts and Sanrio (Hello Kitty) before retiring to spend time and travel with her husband Jim.

Above all, MaryAnn’s greatest pride was her family and Churches. She believed that all kids should be loved, supported and fed, regardless of their origin. She loved spending time with and sharing stories about her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Every holiday was a chance for her to craft up small gift baskets, pails, cauldrons or stockings and share sweets, toys and plushies with all the kids in her life.

Mary Ann was a devoted Orthodox Christian. While raised in the Russian Orthodox faith, she raised her children in Greek Orthodox churches. She taught Sunday school, ministered in GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Organizations), Philoptochos Society, in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Winston Salem and the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington. She also organized and ran the church library in Wilmington. The St Nicholas Church in Wilmington and the Saint Basil the Great Orthodox Church in Castle Hayne became her extended families as her children and grandchildren grew up and started lives of their own elsewhere.

MaryAnn loved sports. She was an avid Pittsburg Steelers and Pirates fan, and followed the Carolina Panthers when that franchise was formed. Growing up, girls weren’t allowed to participate in organized sports, but spent many hours in pickup games and teaching cousins how to play baseball. She was at every baseball, football, basketball, volleyball games and track meets that she could make cheering on her kids, grandkids and great grand kids.

She loved crafts of all kinds. She learned woodworking from her Carpenter father, sewing from her mother, and constructed/painted handcrafts for all occasions. She is probably most remembered for the flower arrangements and decoration she did for weddings, holidays and every special event under the sun. For her children and oldest grandson, she was also a Scout Leader, Den Leader, and Pack Leader for Brownies, Girl Scouts and Cadets, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

MaryAnn loved to travel and see/experience new things. She drove across the country, coast to coast 6 times and had visited every State in the US, except Alaska, and all the Canadian Provinces and Mexico. She loved collecting flowers, rocks, and shells and taking pictures of everything. When not traveling, she turned her yard into an urban refuge, landscaping with thousands of plants with dozens of bird baths and feeders.

MaryAnn will be remembered for her dedication to her family and Churches and the pride she took in all she did. Her legacy will live on through the values she instilled and the example she set.

She is survived by her children: Theresa Bell and husband Neal Coddington, Robert Bell, Nanette Musselwhite and husband Perry, and Sheri Brockington; 4 Grandchildren: Zachary, Kandice, Casey and Logan; 7 great-grandchildren: Austin, Chase, Emma, Jayden, Cailey, Riley, and Baylee; and 9 great-great-grandchildren: Gage, Emma Lynn, Carter, Dustin, Tyler, Bailee, Briar, Wyatt, and Emma. She is also survived by her brother Chris Gabor and wife Betty. She was preceded in death by her husbands James E Wall and Nolie L Bell, her sister Marty and grandson Tommy.

Visitation will be at 10:30am followed by a memorial service at 11:30, at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington, North Carolina on Bright Monday, April 13th. Burial will be at Oleander Memorial Garden at 12:30, followed by a celebration of life luncheon, Makaria, at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Hall afterwards. Those wishing to honor MaryAnn’s memory may consider a donation to the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington or the Saint Basil the Great Orthodox Church in Castle Hayne.