Mary Speropulos

Mary Speropulos

Mary Speropulos, who inspired generations of junior high students in the classroom by capturing their attention with theatrical humor and charm, died peacefully at Ryan House/Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix January 9. She was 69.

The cause of death was congestive heart failure, said her husband, Tom Speropulos.

She taught for 20 years at Sirrine Elementary and Smith JHS where parents vied to get their children into her classes. She once said, "Oh, you know, teaching is just theater. Once you get their undivided attention, the rest is easy."

Her first career choice, in fact, had been acting. After a short stint at Arizona State University, Mary Cottam moved to Hollywood, hoping to break into pictures. She got a job as an assistant at the production company Metromedia, but never realized her ambition to wind up in front of the camera herself.

She did, however, cement the relationship of her life with Speropulos, then a video post-production editing staffer for the Merv Griffin Show and ABC-TV and later a professional photographer. The two eloped to Las Vegas and exchanged their vows in what they thought was the wedding chapel where her mother and father had tied their marital knot decades earlier. Only later did Mary and Tom learn the right one was down the street.

Their Hollywood time ended when Mary and Tom decided to move back to Arizona and pursue more stable careers. She enrolled again at Arizona State and eventually earned a Ph.D. in Education, with honors. After retiring from the classroom in 2011, Mary taught online for Grand Canyon University.

Born in Kanab, Utah, on March 30, 1951, to Mason and Laurel Cottam and raised in the tiny Northern Arizona town of Fredonia, Mary was exposed to fallout from atomic bomb testing in Nevada, only 150 miles away. Her family came to believe that led to medical complications later in life. The Cottams moved to Mesa in 1959, where Mary graduated from Westwood High School in 1969.

When she wasn't working, she loved to entertain her extended family. One favorite tradition was a huge water gun fight in the Speropulos backyard, held every year to celebrate the birthday of her oldest brother, John.

Her warmth was matched by a sometimes wicked sense of humor. In a brief obituary she wrote for herself some years ago, she said, "Mary disliked nature and spent most of her time indoors, where she enjoyed napping and eating French fries. Her most notable excursion was to Las Vegas, where she eloped with a very handsome man.

"She became a teacher later in life after a failed career in the tap dancing industry," she continued. "She was known for constantly torturing her students with graphic details of her many facelifts."

With her flaming red hair, an infectious smile and wild laugh, her charm was irresistible. Once, lost with her mother in downtown Washington, DC, while visiting her sister Linda, she talked a Metrobus driver into veering miles off his route to deliver them to Linda's home in Arlington, across the Potomac River. To the astonishment of Linda and a neighbor, the bus hissed to a stop late at night on the little suburban street, and Mary and her mother alighted as passengers lowered their windows and called out cheerful farewells. The bus driver climbed down, posed for a photograph with mother and daughter, then proceeded back to the city.

She is survived by her husband of 43 years; five siblings: John Cottam of Mesa; Linda Kauss (Clark Hoyt) of Great Falls, VA; Tom Cottam (Carolyn) of Mesa; Howard Cottam (Julie) of Escondido, CA; and James Christopher Cottam (Kristy) of Maricopa, AZ; 15 nieces and nephews and five great nieces and nephews.

At Mary's request, there will not be a formal funeral service. The family plans a celebration of her life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be sent to Ryan House/Hospice of the Valley, 110 W. Muhammad Ali Way, Phoenix, AZ, 85013.