Individual Details

Mary Louise Tangalakis, March 28, 1930 - November 28, 2018
Mary was born in Los Angeles in March of 1930 to Louie and Josephine Toskas. Mary was the first child for her father, and the third child for Josephine. Mary was a dutiful daughter and a daddy's girl. She spent many of her early days assisting her father in his Watts Coffee Shop. She learned to be a skillful cook and a warm host from her gregarious Greek-born father. She learned homemaking and the value of faith from her Roman Catholic, Mexican-born mother.
At 18, Mary met Dan Tangalakis of Hollywood, seven years her senior, through a mutual friend. They had a whirlwind romance and quickly married in the winter of 1949. Together, they became part of this country's "Greatest Generation." Mary immediately went to work to help support her student-husband who aspired to be a lawyer. Late 1949 brought the birth of their first child, a son, Phillip Tangalakis. Dan succeeded in his dreams of becoming a lawyer and the family settled in Culver City where they would remain until 1974.
Mary was a devoted mother to five children and a loyal wife whose passions included the health and success of her family, art and design, Greek Orthodoxy, culture and travel. She was well-loved by all who knew her because she was a loyal friend, an artful host and generous beyond measure. She was an active member of her church, first at Saint Sophia Cathedral, then at Saint Nicholas Church in Northridge after she and Dan moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1974.
Mary and Dan became known for their joyous backyard parties and Easter celebrations where there was always a taste of their Greek and Mexican cultural backgrounds evident in the music, food, and dancing. Over the course of Mary and Dan's 60+ year marriage, they celebrated many successes and experienced many tragedies. In 1995, they lost their son, Steve, to illness. Then in 2012, Dan passed away after a long illness, leaving Mary with a lifetime of memories.
Mary passed away peacefully in the presence of her two daughters on November 28, 2018 in the early morning hours. Her last spoken words were those of her family - who were always at the center of her heart. Mary was preceded in death by her husband Dan Tangalakis, her son Steve Tangalakis and her great-granddaughter Farin Rose Hook. She is survived by her son Phillip and Virginia Tangalakis and family, her daughter Paula and Jeff Hook and family, her son Louis and Gina Tangalakis and family, and her daughter Christina Tangalakis and Ellen Baeth and family, plus 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Services for Mary Tangalakis will be held at 10:30 am, Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles, followed by a memorial lunch in the church hall. Interment at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills.

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Birth	28 Mar 1930	Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Marriage	23 Jan 1949	Orange County, California - Dan John Tangalakis
Residence	1 Jan 1998	Culver City, Los Angeles County, California
Death	28 Nov 2018	Culver City, Los Angeles County, California
Burial	8 Dec 2018	California

Spouse	Dan John Tangalakis (1923 - 2012)
Child	Living
Child	Living
Child	Steven Lloyd Tangalakis (1953 - 1995)
Child	Living
Child	Living

Notes