Mary Scocos

Madison - Mary S. Scocos, age 96, died on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at UW Hospital in Madison. She is the daughter of Spyros and Vasiliki Soldatos. Mary was born in the village of Gargalianoi, Greece, on June 13, 1921, the eldest of three children. Her family immigrated to the United States in the fall of 1922 and passed through Ellis Island to Wisconsin. They settled in Madison, where her father became a tavern owner.

As a teen, Mary grew up in the Spaight Street neighborhood on Lake Monona. During her youth, she worked at a local candy store on the Capitol square. She attended elementary, middle school, and graduated from Central High School, which is now MATC. Mary attended Madison Business School and worked various jobs in the Madison area.

She married John G. Scocos after his service in World War II and moved to Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. Her husband John owned a drug store before returning to work as a manager for the Sears & Roebuck Company. They later settled in Owatonna, Minnesota, for over fifteen years before moving to Delavan, Wisconsin, to pursue ownership of a hardware store. The family sold the hardware business and moved to Madison in 1975.

After settling in Madison, she and her husband decided they were too young to completely retire and opened a small gift shop in the Concourse Hotel. Her passion for cooking won her a Betty Crocker award for a Greek Karidopita pecan cake. Mary's mother was an amazing cook, passing down many recipes to Mary, which she, in turn, passed down to her three sons and five grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren in retirement.

Mary has been a lifelong member of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, a church that her family, as well as many of the established Greek families in Madison, assisted in starting. For many years she has been a member of the Ladies Philoptochos Society, a Greek Orthodox women's sorority which supports charities as well as the church community.

She is survived by her sons, John (Kelly) Scocos, George Scocos, and Spyros Scocos; five grandchildren, Tatiana, Theo, Chloe, Andreas, and Costa, a great-grandson, Jetson; nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

A funeral service will be held at ASSUMPTION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, 11 N. 7th Street, Madison on Thursday, March 29, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery. A visitation will be held at the church on Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services
3610 Speedway Road
(608) 238-3434