Mesa - Mary Constance Morando, 96, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2020 at 7:40 PM in Mesa, Arizona. Mary was born as Mary Konstancia Tanski, on August 14, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio. Mary is preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Morando. Mary is survived by her 5 children: Joseph Morando, Jr., Saverio Morando, Antonette Seese, Daniel Morando, Mary Jo Thomas and their spouses. Mary has 9 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren.
Mary will be laid to rest on June 2, 2020. Viewing will be June 2, 2020 at 10 AM at the Green Acres Mortuary, Scottsdale, AZ. Funeral Service will be June 2, 2020 at 11 AM at the Green Acres Mortuary. Pubic graveside service will follow.
June 6, 2020 there will be a Memorial Service for her many friends in the Apache Junction area, at 10 AM at the AJ First Assembly of God.
EULOGY
Mary Constance Morando passed away on May 27, 2020 at 8:40 PM in Mesa, Arizona. She was born as Marie Konstancia Tanski, on August, 14, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio to Anton and Apolonia Tanski, who were from Warsaw, Poland. Mary was the 10th of 11 children.
Mary lived a very conservative life since her childhood. She was raised in a Catholic Polish home where Polish was spoken in the home and English spoken in public. Mary’s father was a shoe maker and laborer. Her mother was in real-estate and invested in many rental properties, which were all lost during the Great Depression.
Mary was confirmed in the Catholic Church and attended Catholic school. She had to leave school after the 10th grade in order to take care of her mother. She began to work to help support the family. Mary picked up odd jobs and brought the money home to take care of the family. Some of these jobs included working at a wallpaper and paint store and then working as a live-in housekeeper for a Jewish family. She worked at the soda burger counter at a local drugstore. Later she became a restaurant waitress. She was a window-display designer and decorator in a clothing store.
Mary’s mother eventually passed away of cancer when Mary was 17. Later as an adult, Mary completed her high school education through a program at Phoenix Christian Bible College, sponsored by Phoenix Christian Assembly.
When she was in her early 20s during WWII, Mary worked at Thompson Products as an inspector, and her picture was in one of their catalogs. Then she worked at Warner and Stacy’s factory where she also used a micrometer as an inspector. There she was friends with Margie the timekeeper. Mary and Margie would frequent a local diner regularly after work. It was there that she met her one and only husband who also frequented the diner. He had his eye on her for some time. He introduced himself to her as he took the moment of opportunity to provide her assistance in a moment of need. He was her hero from that moment.
Joseph and Mary were married August 20th, 1945 in Lockport, New York. The lived in Cleveland, Ohio and then moved to Erie, Pennsylvania. Mary went to work for a little while at LORD Corporation, where she learned to read blueprints.
By the testimony and witness of her husband’s Pentecostal mother, Mary learned about a relationship with Jesus Christ. In 1951 she accepted the Lord as her personal Savior. Later she was filled with the Holy Spirit and from that point on she witnessed about Christ to everyone who crossed her path. Mary and Joseph served the Lord together at the Erie Christian Assembly, in Erie, Pennsylvania. This was a small Italian-English Pentecostal church. Joseph was a violinist in the church orchestra and Mary was a teacher to the young children. She led many children to the Lord.
They raised their five children in Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania until the family moved to Phoenix Arizona in 1969. While in Arizona, the family continued serving the Lord at the Phoenix Christian Assembly and Apache Junction First Assembly for 50 years.
Her husband, Joseph passed away in 1980. As a widow Mary continued at the Phoenix Christian Assembly, under the ministry of Pastor Don Grosvenor. She was a tremendous and dedicated children’s teacher. Through the church bus ministry outreach, she led many children and their families to the Lord. She was a camp worker, ladies ministry kitchen worker, and choir member. Mary taught neighborhood Bible Studies for children. She served as kindergarten teacher at Christian Challenge Academy, where she led many children to the Lord, including one of her own grandchildren.
Mary was also committed to her family. She devoted herself to helping and caring for her children and grandchildren. When there was a need, she was there to help in anyway possible.
After becoming ill, in her late 80’s, she moved into an independent senior living community in Apache Junction so she could be close to family for assistance and care. In December of 2018 her health failed and she moved into the Arbor Rose Assisted Living where she was taken good care of by many Godly caregivers and visited by many friends and family. While at Arbor Rose in her weakened condition, she remained an industrious woman, always with one more project to do, shining the light of Jesus and being a blessing to fellow residence and caregivers.
Mary was faithful in supporting her churches and many missionary outreaches, including Mwangaza Missionary Fellowship in Kenya, E Africa, up to her dying day. She truly was the woman of Proverbs 31.
Mary C. Morando passed away peaceably on May 27, 2020 at 7:40 PM in Mesa, Arizona.
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