Mary X. Chapman - Obituary

ary Xakellis Chapman passed away on Monday, December 6, 2021, from progressive heart failure. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late Lula (Psitos) and Christopher Xakellis. Mary grew up in a Lancaster-based, Greek immigrant family and the whole family would work hard at their family-owned restaurant. However, she had a passion for reading and learning about the world around her. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University, she embarked on a career of teaching math in Prince Georges County, Maryland. She started a family of four with her first husband and father to her children, Peter Serlemitsos, in 1954. After divorce, she would marry the late Thomas Chapman and live many happy years together in Greenbelt, Maryland. She was a devoted teacher, and she would add a master’s degree to her professional resume. She was always trying to help her students inside and outside the classroom, especially underprivileged members of the community. She was actively involved in her Greenbelt community and strived to stay involved with community affairs well after retirement. She was always involved with her children and grandchildren, playing a key role in their upbringing and development. She was loved and will be missed. She was preceded in death by her beloved brother George Xakellis. She is survived by her two children, John Serlemitsos (Deborah) and Louann (Serlemitsos) Day (Frank); her sister Dolores (Xakellis) Perezous; her grandchildren Maritsa (Day-Serlemitsos) Stephenson (Roger), Virginia Day, Jasmine (Serlemitsos) Wilding (Isaac), Katie (Serlemitsos) Christopher (Jake), Jessica (Day) Shepherd (Jordan) and Peter Serlemitsos II. Mary has also been blessed with 6 great-grandchildren, so far. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Mary's life on Monday, December 13, 2021, from 4 pm to 7 pm and again on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, from 11 am until her funeral service begins at 12 pm at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD 21037. Interment will be private. If you wish to view the service online Use this link In lieu of sending flowers, memorial contributions in Mary's memory can be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Attn: Membership Department, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403, online here or the National Alliance on Mental Illness, PO Box 49104 Baltimore, MD 21297, Online Here