Mary Bligh

Mary A. Bligh, 90, of Ithaca, NY, passed away on May 11, 2018. Mary was born in the Bronx, NY, daughter of the late John Alex (Alexopoulos) and Nikki (Papastrat) Alex, both of Greece. The family moved to Ithaca, where Mary spent her formative years. She was predeceased by her younger brothers, George and Peter.

She graduated Ithaca High School in 1946 and then worked in an attorney's office in Ithaca. She also worked for her uncle, Peter Atsedes, at the College Spa on State St.

During that period, Mary was actively involved in the Greek Orthodox Faith, raising money to purchase a building in Collegetown to establish a church in Ithaca. She was a member of the “Daughters of Penelope,” a precursor to the Philoptochos Society. She served as a District Governor of the Daughters of Penelope, which gave her the opportunity to travel the east coast meeting with members of other district chapters.

Mary's sense of adventure took her to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in the sixties, where she initially worked in retail. She then accepted a job with Theodore Tunik and Company Insurance Co. as a bookkeeper.

In 1968, Mary married William (Bill) Curran Bligh, a former professional opera singer. Mary left the insurance business and she and Bill owned and operated Lord Rumbottom's Restaurant, which specialized in prime rib- a dish which remained a favorite of Mary’s until her final days. Bill was the chef, but Mary wore all the other hats in the restaurant at some time or another. Rumbottom's was the place to go in St. Thomas and Mary and Bill were fortunate to welcome many dignitaries to their establishment. After Bill's death in 1978, Mary returned to Tunik and Company, where she worked until her retirement in 1994. Having endured two devastating hurricanes in St. Thomas, Mary decided to return to her friends and family in Ithaca in 1996.

Upon her return, Mary was an active member of St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, serving as a Board Member of both the Parish Counsel and the Philoptochos Society.

Mary loved to travel and almost annually visited her beloved family village of Goranous, Greece where she had numerous family members and friends. Mary maintained a home there and loved sitting on her balcony looking over the valley while reading a good book. She also loved spending time at the kafenio (café) in the village center, where in typical Greek fashion, the village residents gathered nightly to share a drink and talk about the day. Mary also served as Treasurer of the Worldwide Goraniton Organization.

Her trips to Florida, where she spent time with her cousin, Voula Vites, and her family, as well as her beloved friends Lucky and Gloria Congdon, were something she looked forward to each year. She traveled internationally to many places in Europe and to Australia, New Zealand and Chile with her loving nephew, Jeff Hyatt.

Mary is survived by her first cousins, Panayotis (Christine) Stratakos and Nicholas (Dimitra) Stratakos, Gus Tsambiras, Martha Pappas, and Voula Vites, as well as other cousins in the U.S. and Greece. While Mary and Bill had no children of their own, Mary is also survived by her loving nephews, George P. Stratakos, George N. Stratakos, Alex Stratakos and nieces Diamando P Stratakos, Diamando N. (Anthony) Paolangeli, and Diamando (Panos) Nikolakakou, as well as Gary (Kristiane) Zahakos, Randy (Sherry) Zahakos, Cory (Cheri) Zahakos, Paula Zahakos, Jeffrey Hyatt, Colleen Hytko and many other nieces and nephews in the U.S. and Greece. She is also survived by her loving Goddaughter, Carol Cameron.

We want to thank Paula of Hospicare for her service, enabling Mary to stay in her home during this process.

Calling Hours will be hosted at Bang's Funeral Home from 5-7pm on Wednesday, May 16 and the funeral services will be presided over by Father Michael Bahlatzis at St. Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church at 1pm on Thursday, May 17. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church or Hospicare and Palliative Care Services of Tompkins County.