Mary Essres Guadagnoli

Mary Essres Guadagnoli, 98, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on November 22, 2019.

Mary was born on December 17, 1920, in Karystos, on the island of Evia, Greece, to Antonia Papastamatio Essres and George Essres.

Mary, age 9, and her mother Antonia, arrived in America after a forty-day voyage, having left the rest of their family and beautiful island behind. Not knowing the language of their new country, they navigated their way from Ellis Island, and met Mary's father at the train station in the middle of the night in Walsenburg, Colorado. They arrived in Colorado to begin their new lives at the beginning of the depression.

During these early years Mary was blessed with four brothers that she helped raise and loved dearly: Theodore, Jonathon, John, and Andrew.

Industrious even as a child, Mary started working at a drug store in Walsenburg at the age of 13, and earned enough money to make payments on a washing machine for her mother and a radio for herself. She quickly learned about ""interest"" and devoted herself not only to making her payments on time, but paying things off as quickly as possible. It was during this period that she developed her life long passion for maintaining an excellent credit score!

The family then moved to Trinidad, Colorado. At about the same time, Mary's father and his brother purchased a gold mine near Leadville, Colorado, and spent the springs and summers mining.

Mary went to Trinidad High School, where she met her husband, August Guadagnoli. They fell in love, were engaged, and a short time later, August joined the Army and fought in World War II for four long years.

While August was away, Mary's family moved to Denver. Mary and her mother's lives became grounded in the Greek Orthodox community and they began a lifelong membership in the Greek Church, the Assumption Cathedral, Saint Catherine's Church and the Daughters of Penelope.

Mary got a job at the Schwader Brothers' Luggage Company. The company went from producing suitcases and card tables to manufacturing bombs. Mary proudly contributed to the war effort and worked on the production line at the company until the war ended.

Mary and August married when he returned from the Pacific, and they settled in Denver. Both had large families and they quickly became one, enjoying many happy years celebrating all occasions. With all those Greeks and Italians there was no such thing as a small gathering!

Mary and August had three children: Antoinette Keyser McHale, (Joseph McHale), Condi Guadagnoli, and Marilyn Dubitzky, (Dan Dubitzky), eight grandchildren: Scott, Matt Keyser, their sister Aleixa Allan; Amy, Michael and Justin Guadagnoli; Matthew and Nicholas Dubitzky; and five great – grandchildren, James Keyser, Luca and Jett Dubitzky, and Brody and Ella Guadagnoli.

Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were all greatly impacted by the way she lived her life. Her unconditional love, work ethic, compassion, and living in the moment with faith, optimism, and joy, even during difficult times, set an example for all to follow.

Mary loved raising her family and working. The highlight of her career came when she left Gates Rubber Company at the age of fifty, studied hard to pass the real estate exam, became a very successful realtor and joined the family business with her brothers Ted and John, and her son, Condi. They worked side by side for many rewarding years and Mary's clients became friends for life.

Our family wishes to express our deepest gratitude to our mother's caregiver and friend, Linda Pacino, the staff at Fraiser Meadows Nursing Center units G & H where she spent the last two years of her life, the Fraiser Meadows' Chaplain and TRU Hospice of Boulder, Horan & McConaty Mortuary, and finally, Saint Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church.

They cared for our mother and all of us with love and dignity.

Funeral Service: December 27, 2019 11:00 am

St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
5555 South Yosemite Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Reception: December 27, 2019 12:00 pm

St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
5555 South Yosemite Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Graveside Service: December 27, 2019 2:00 pm

St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
5555 South Yosemite Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111