PORTSMOUTH NH – Mary Elizabeth Marshall, 97, a resident of Portsmouth's Wentworth Senior Living, died peacefully on the sunny morning of Monday November 20, 2017 after celebrating her 97th birthday with family the day before.

Mary was born in Portsmouth on November 19th, 1920, and was a long-time resident of Kittery ME in the same farmhouse where she was raised as the oldest of five children to Roy and Angela Varotsis, originally from the island of Naxos Greece.   Mary also lived at Meetinghouse Village in Kittery for several years.

She is survived by her sister Alice of Kittery; son Christopher of Kittery; daughter Maria and her husband Robert Sturtevant of York ME; son Michael and his wife Elizabeth of Clifton VA; 5 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild, and several nieces and nephews.  Mary was predeceased by her parents; her beloved husband of 46 years, Joseph; her sister Christine Pelkey; her sister Rita Perry; and her brother Jamie Varotsis.

Mary enjoyed time with her family and friends, cooking Greek food, gardening, square dancing, round dancing, and helping other people.  Examples of her help to others included in-home care of both parents through their final years, care of her husband Joseph during his illness, and performing the unexpected home birth delivery of one of her grandchildren at the age of 82.  Mary also enjoyed telling others of her happy memories of working at the Portsmouth Shipyard during World War II; meeting her Marine Corps husband Joseph when he helped her up after a roller skating fall; and living as a military wife in North Carolina, Hawaii, Washington D.C, and New Jersey before returning to Maine.  She will be deeply missed but we should also all be happy for the wonderful life she lived.

Services: A Memorial Service in celebration of Mary's life will be held on Saturday April 7th at 10am at the First Congregational Church at 1361 State Road in Eliot Maine. A reception with a luncheon of Greek cuisine, in honor of Mary's proud Greek heritage, will be held at the church immediately following the Memorial Service. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.jspelkeyfuneralhome.com. The family asks that In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Cancer Society. Care for the Marshall family has been entrusted to the JS Pelkey Funeral Home.