Mary Lee Pons

Mary Lee had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for the past nine years. We are incredibly grateful that, until her very last day, she continued to recognize and remember her family while remaining full of the joy, warmth, and love that defined her life.

Just a few weeks ago, Mary Lee celebrated her 88th birthday surrounded by her closest family. It was a gift to us to have her spend her final years living in Georgia with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons, where they were able to share so many special moments, memories, laughter, and love together.

Mary Lee was born on August 31, 1938, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Harry and Estella Johnson. She was the youngest of seven children, with two older sisters and four older brothers. Mary Lee adored her siblings and remained deeply connected to her nieces and nephews throughout her life. Family was always at the heart of who she was.

Mary Lee was a devout Catholic, and her faith was deeply important to her. It was a source of strength, comfort, and guidance throughout her life. Her faith was not simply something she practiced; it was woven into the person she was.

Mary Lee graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s College and went on to obtain her Master of Social Work at Catholic University. She dedicated her professional life to caring for others, working for the Veterans Administration Hospital for 30 years as a medical social worker. Much of her career was with veterans who had suffered spinal cord injuries. She cared deeply about the people she served and brought compassion, dignity, and joy to those she worked with.

While building her career in Washington, D.C., Mary Lee met the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Pons. They married in August of 1969 and began a life together filled with family, love, laughter, and countless memories. They were married for 47 and a half years until Bob passed away in 2017.

Mary Lee spent the last year of her life in a memory care facility, which she beautifully associated with the VA hospital she used to work in. Her lifelong instinct to care for others remained entirely unchanged. She would frequently walk up to the other residents to check on them, making sure they were okay and offering them the same compassion she had given her patients for decades. Caring for people was her true purpose and watching her continue this work was a beautiful testament to the person she had always been.

Mary Lee was full of joy. She loved to laugh, sing, and dance, and she had a way of bringing happiness and energy into a room. Music was an important part of her life. She sang in church choirs and vocal ensembles throughout the years. Even during the later years of her life, she could still remember the lyrics to many of her favorite songs and sing harmony.

Mary Lee is survived by her son, Gregory Pons; her daughter, Caryn Pons Appelbaum; her son-in-law, Michael Appelbaum; and her beloved grandsons, Owen and Luke Appelbaum. She is also survived by her brother, Joseph Johnson, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved dearly and who loved her so very much.

Mary Lee will be remembered for her beautiful spirit, her incomparable and infectious laughter, her love of music, her deep and abiding faith, and, most of all, her extraordinary love for her family and for others. She gave love freely and found joy in the people around her.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 28, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. Following the mass, family and friends are warmly invited to join the family for a reception to continue celebrating Mary Lee's life.