Maria William Dragoumis

Maria (fondly known as “Willsy”) was born on May 21, 1934 in Asheville, North Carolina to the late William and Anna (Xanthakos) Lamprinakos. She was the middle child of three and the only daughter. Her childhood was spent in Asheville before her family moved to Brooklyn, NY where she attended Ft. Hamilton High School. She earned an undergraduate degree from American University and an MBA from Loyola of Maryland.

On September 15, 1957, she married her husband, Paul Dragoumis, and spent the next 64 years loving him and the beautiful family that they created together. Together they had two children and six grandchildren.

She was the best wife, mother, grandmother, and godmother we could ever imagine! "Yiayia", as she was affectionately called by her grandchildren, made each of us feel so special and she touched our hearts so deeply by making us the center of her world when we were together. Whether it was feeding her grandchildren M&Ms for breakfast (in complete defiance of their parents) or teaching them how to advocate for themselves with courage and confidence, every moment was filled with a fierce love and a lot of fun.

She enjoyed travelling the world from North America to Europe to South America and from Africa to Asia – some by land and others by sea. She was a frequent patron of the performing arts – with a particular fondness for classical ballet.

Maria was a pillar of strength and perseverance – pursuing her bachelor’s degree over a period of many years and across four universities: St. John University (NY), Fairleigh Dickenson (NJ), Marquette University (WI) and American University (District of Columbia), as she supported her family through many moves. Nothing kept her from pursuing her dreams. She showed the same strength, courage and determination in battling numerous debilitating illnesses during her lifetime. She fondly attributed her strength and determination to her Spartan heritage.

She was served two terms on the Parish Council at The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George and had been a member of the Philoptochos Society. In 1992, she co-founded and served as President of Metropolitan Washington Orthodox Seniors Housing, an assisted care facility for orthodox senior citizens in Bethesda, Maryland.

Maria was as accomplished in her career as she was dedicated to community service. She served as an energy adviser to the Secretary of Commerce in the Ford Administration. She was then recruited to H. Zinder & Associates, a utility consulting firm in Washington, D.C., where she was the assistant director of research. She finished her private sector career as a founding partner in TJM, an energy consulting firm.

Throughout her life she kept her extended family close through traditional holiday gatherings – all filled with the delicious Greek cuisine of her heritage. Of course, that food was prepared by her mother or by a great Greek restaurant because she despised cooking. She cherished her girls’ days out with her granddaughters – imparting on her granddaughters the value of girl time at the nail salon by the age of five. Her time with her grandsons was equally precious to her. She also adored her godchildren.

In addition to her parents, Maria was predeceased by her brothers and their wives, George and Inez Lamprinakos and John and Irene Lamprinakos.

Maria is survived by her husband, Paul Dragoumis, her two children, Ann (Jim) Murtlow, and Andrew Dragoumis, her six grandchildren, each of whom love her as much as she loved them, Ally and Tyler Murtlow, Alexa and Matthew Dragoumis, and Zoe and Olivia Spencer. Maria is also survived by cousins Tina Caras, Maria Collias, and George Lamprinakos and by three nieces and nephews, Karen (Jake) Crites, William (Jennifer) Lamprinakos and John Lamprinakos, and their children (and grandchildren), Kristina and John Trent, Terri and Amanda Lamprinakos and Janie (Adam) Ortega. She is also survived by her goddaughter, Katherine Craven, and her godmother, Stella Manios.

The entire family owes a great debt of gratitude to the wonderful caregivers who were compassionately attentive of her needs for so long. They are Rachelle Belizario, Marlon Munoz, Flor Deliza, Nancy Adecer, Camille Dela Cruz, Alice Tetteh, and Micheline Anzaya. We are also grateful to Dr. Theodore Li, Dr. Sasha Mark and the wonderful staff at Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine and Casey House who provided excellent care for her. She was peaceful in her last days. May God bless all of you!

A private funeral will be held at noon on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, Maryland followed by a burial at Gates of Heaven Cemetery. Those who wish to join the funeral service remotely, may do so by clicking the "livestream" link in the "services" box below.

Condolences and memories can be left for the family on this website.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in her name to The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. To make a donation, click the link below.