Mary Catherine Szyperski's Obituary
The family of Mary Catherine Szyperski of Laurel, MD announces her passing to eternal life on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at the age of 95 years.
Mary was born in Syracuse, NY in 1926 to Francis P. and Mary C. Hoppe (nee Volkmuth). A graduate of Assumption Catholic Academy in Syracuse, she began her career as a bookkeeper at the Syracuse Transit Corporation. While volunteering in the USO, she met a young Airman named Raymond Szyperski while he was assigned to study at Syracuse University. They married in 1958 after his next USAF tour of duty in Alaska.
Over the next few years, Mary took on the new roles of wife, mother, and household manager as Ray’s assignments led their growing family to Madison, WI, Marquette, MI, Hof, Germany, and Ft. Meade, MD before they settled in Laurel, MD where they resided for more than fifty years. They both became involved in the new parish of Resurrection of Our Lord in Laurel. Mary served as a member of the Sodality, organist, choir director, and religious education teacher, crafted items for the Christmas bazaar, and eventually became involved as the parish pro-life chairman and with wider Pro-Life Maryland and Gabriel Project efforts with Ray.
As her children grew older, she returned to the workforce as an office temp, working for GE at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and at the Wall Street Journal office in Maryland, who valued her skills enough to offer her permanent full-time employment, which she declined. She loved gardening, sewing, cooking, swimming, playing the piano, and traveling.
Mary will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 63 years, Ray; children Kiva Fecteau (Claude), David Szyperski, and Bill Szyperski (Carole); and grandchildren Emilie Fecteau, Genevieve Fecteau, Christina Smith (Ryan), Katherine Szyperski, Michael Szyperski, Allison Szyperski, Jakob Hatcher, Ethan Hatcher, and Blake Hatcher. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers George Hoppe and Joseph Hoppe.
The family will receive guests at Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church, 8402 Brock Bridge Road, Laurel, MD for Visitation on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 6–8 p.m. and on Thursday, January 27, 2022 10-11 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. The Rite of Committal and burial will take place at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery at a later date.
Flowers are welcome. As an alternate expression of sympathy, contributions may be made to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, P.O. Box 4469 Washington, DC 20017-0469 (https://www.milarch.org/donate/).
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