Mary Louise Kondela 1938-2023

Mary Lou was born Aug. 30, 1938, in Youngstown, the daughter of John and Anna Simanich Kalic, and was a lifelong area resident.

She graduated from Ursuline High School in 1956 and from St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in 1959. She worked over 40 years as a registered nurse at long-term care facilities in the area.

She met her husband, Peter M. Kondela Jr., at a Cardinal Mooney High School band spaghetti dinner, a meeting orchestrated by their sisters, who were both Mooney students. Mary Lou and Pete were married Oct. 21, 1961, at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Youngstown. Together they shared 61 years, raising their family in Boardman, instilling a strong work ethic and supporting their children’s education at Ursuline Preschool, Holy Family Elementary School, Cardinal Mooney High School, Youngstown State University and beyond. Mary Lou was an avid Mooney football supporter, rarely missing a home game for over 20 years, even spending her 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries at Mooney football games. She was a member of Holy Family Church in Poland.

Besides her husband, she is survived by her children, Maryellen (Ben) Vazquez, David (Tami) Kondela and Maribeth (Bob) Petrus; daughter-in-law, Margo Kondela; sister, Judy Maxin; sister-in-law, Paulette (Dennis) Cebulski; grandchildren, Nicholas (Nikki) Vazquez, Juliana Vazquez, Seth Golden, Kayla Golden, Owen Kondela and Eden Kondela; and great-grandson, Zander Vazquez.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, attorney Joseph Kondela.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 14, 2023, at Holy Family Church, 2729 Center Road, Poland, OH 44514. Family and friends may call 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, 2023, at Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, 2726 Center Road, Poland.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude and appreciation to the entire staff of Caprice Healthcare and Akeso Hospice for their exceptional care and concern over the past few months.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in Mary Lou’s name to Caprice Healthcare Activities Department, 9184 Market St., North Lima, OH 44452; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at jdrf.org; and the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer.org.

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