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Mary Vitanza Obituary

Mary Lou Vitanza, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed from this world on November 1, 2023 surrounded by family and friends at the Buckingham in Houston, Texas. Born March 2, 1928, she grew up in Buffalo NY, and moved, in 1954, to Erie Pennsylvania with her husband Dr. Sebastian (Sibby) Vitanza after their years at medical school in Missouri. Mary Lou served as Volunteer Coordinator at both the Erie County Crippled Children Center and the Erie County Rape Crisis Center. In 2002, the couple moved to Orlando, Florida where they made their home close to surviving daughter Valerie Grier and her family: husband, Ed, their sons Joshua, Michael, and Daniel. When the Grier family took an expat assignment in Tokyo, Japan, Mary Lou and Sibby moved to Austin, Texas where David Vitanza, surviving son, his wife Laura and sons: Angelo, Sebastian and Carlo lived. The couple resided for 17 years at the Querencia retirement community in Austin. Shortly after Sibby's death in 2017, in the midst of the challenges of Covid19, Mary Lou relocated with David's family to the Buckingham in Houston, where friends from Querencia had also relocated. A private Celebration of Life will be held on at the Buckingham in Houston. Please visit Memorial Oaks website to learn more or to leave memorial condolences - Memorialoaksfunerals.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Austin American-Statesman from Nov. 14 to Nov. 18, 2023.

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Memorial Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery

13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77079

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