MaryAnn Millar

MaryAnn was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to William Joseph and Stella Eva (Polisky) Markalonis. She had fond memories of Euclid Beach and spending time with her many cousins. At age 10, her family moved to a farm outside of DuBois, Pennsylvania, to be closer to her paternal grandparents. She enjoyed farm life, especially caring for the family’s horses, Flicka and Lightning. At 17, she moved to Pittsburgh to attend Saint Francis nursing school. In 1963, she relocated to Los Angeles to begin her career as a Registered Nurse. There, she met her future husband, Bill, and together they made their home in Manhattan Beach.

MaryAnn stepped away from nursing following the birth of their third child, but continued her nursing studies and maintained her professional license. She was deeply committed to her community and made the most of life by continually learning and giving back. She took classes to explore new ideas and improve herself, including art appreciation, public speaking, and dance lessons with Bill. She was very involved in her daughters’ schools, a Girl Scout leader, Neighborhood Watch captain, PTA member, and proudly organized the first-ever Grad Night at Mira Costa High School. After her daughters graduated, she focused her energy on church and charity work, serving as a eucharistic minister, bereavement counselor, and religious education teacher. MaryAnn and Bill were also hands-on managers of their rental properties, often offering help to tenants in need. She gave generously to many causes, including the Catholic Church, organizations supporting the poor, environmental groups, and the Lithuanian diaspora.

MaryAnn and Bill shared a love of dance and enjoyed camping and skiing adventures with their four daughters. She treasured time spent at the family farm. She cherished meaningful journeys, including a trip to Lithuania with her four daughters to explore her heritage. She made wonderful memories in the Maritimes, Australia and New Zealand with friends, crash landing in a Venezuelan jungle, traveled the Amazon by canoe, explored Dracula’s castle and visited Bill’s Seabee home in Thailand. Most recently, she journeyed to Scotland in May 2024 to celebrate her daughter Kathleen’s wedding, a joyful and cherished time.

MaryAnn was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Vincent, Father Joseph, John Markalonis and nephew Michael. She is survived by her loving husband, Bill, of 59 years, her four daughters, Julie (Pete Grasso), Debbie (Ken Pappanduros), Kathleen (Alan Porteous) and Molly; grandchildren, Alex and Mark Pappanduros, Jeffrey and Stella Grasso, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

MaryAnn will be missed by so many but all are comforted knowing she was deeply committed to her faith and is with the Lord, her parents and her brothers.

A funeral mass will be said at American Martyrs church in Manhattan Beach on Saturday, August 23rd at 10am. She will be interred alongside her family in DuBois, PA at the Saint Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity close to your heart as MaryAnn believed strongly in helping others.

The funeral mass will be live-streamed and recorded. It can be viewed at https://americanmartyrs.org/livestream-funerals-memorials.