Maria B. Gac

A beloved mother and grandmother, Maria B. Gac, died on March 27, 2024. Maria battled dementia, but it never stopped her from saying “I love you” and giving the best hugs. She is greatly missed by her daughter and family, Patricia, Russell, Eric, and Claire, and her son and family, Scott, Jill, Adrian, Reece, and Dane.

Born in Germany in 1933, Maria survived the dislocations and violence of World War II in Europe. A champion kayaker, she was quick to retell the story of missing the national team by a hundredth of a second in Olympic trials where she faced not only pouring rain, but biased, local referees. In the mid-1950s, Maria first moved to the United States and worked in Walter Cronkite’s secretarial pool. In the early 1970s, she again returned to the United States where she began a second marriage and moved to South Setauket, NY.

Working as a school lunch lady and a childminder, Maria started as a realtor in the late 1980s. In this career she worked tirelessly for nearly three decades. While she secured many professional accolades and was a fierce business competitor, Maria most valued the friendships she made in and outside of real estate along the way. Indeed, she continuously counseled family and friends with never-ending expressions of support and inspiration. Always looking for a laugh and some fun, Maria, especially if her sister Anne was nearby, loved to joke and play pranks.

Maria was preceded in death by her husband, Ed, and by her siblings, Karl, Ruth, and Anne. She spent her last five years in Glastonbury, CT, where she received loving care not only from family but from her friends and staff at Buckingham Heights Memory Care. Friends are invited to commemorate Maria’s well-lived life at O.B. Davis Funeral Home, 4839 Nesconset Hwy, Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776, on Sunday, June 16, 2024 between 2-4PM and 7-9PM. Prayer service on Monday, June 17, 2024 at 10 AM at the funeral home. Internment of her ashes will follow at Calverton National Cemetery.