Obituary

Mary Teresa Athan passed away peacefully on June 2^nd, 2022, at the age of 100, surrounded by her family. Mary was an incredibly loving, warm-hearted, and spirited woman right up until to the end. She was born in Los Angeles on May 6^th, 1922, to Carlos and Teresa Guerrero and had two older brothers, Albert and Carlos. She and her brothers graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. Her early years were full of many close friends and lots of family. In her professional life, she worked as a secretary for the early part of her career. It wasn’t until Valentine’s Day in 1952 that she met the man of her dreams, James S. Athan. Her life changed forever. After only three months of courtship, on June 28^th, 1952, Mary and James were married. They enjoyed a profoundly long and loving relationship together until he passed in 2017. She and James were the best of friends. She was a dedicated wife and a devoted mother to her seven children. After raising her family, she worked as the registrar for Notre Dame Academy Girls High School for over 15 years. Mary was an incredible friend, aunt, grandmother, hostess and cook. She was known for her Mexican cooking, lemon and oil dressing, strawberry waffles, chilaquiles and her famous chili beans. Mary loved to entertain, and she opened her heart and home to friends and family who were always welcome. She and James traveled the world, from Israel to Greece to Germany. She and James generously took many family members on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Mary had many interests: she loved playing tennis, cooking, sewing, singing, watching classic films, eating Chinese food, and playing Canasta with her many dear friends. Right up until her final days, she could still guess the correct phrase on the Wheel of Fortune. She was in constant contact with her family and watched over all of them with love, concern, and kindness. She spoke from her heart and always knew just the right words to offer comfort, encouragement, and support to someone in need. Mary had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and was devout in her Catholic faith. She was generous and compassionate and truly sought to imitate Christ in her daily life. She was a woman of great faith and dignity, touching many people’s lives along the way. May her memory be eternal and her soul rest in peace with our Lord.

In lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the charity or cause of your choice in her memory.

A rosary service will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, June 20^th, 2022, at the O’Connor Mortuary, 25301 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21^st at Santiago de Compostela Catholic Church, 21682 Lake Forest Dr, Lake Forest, CA 92630. The interment will be at Ascension Cemetery, 24754 Trabuco Road, Lake Forest, CA 92630 immediately following the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Eternal Word Television Network, https://www.ewtn.com/missions/love-and-understanding-of-god-1?src=navbtn