Letters to the Editor – September 14, 2016
Tribute to Mary Demetrious
26 years ago in August, our family relocated to Virginia, after 13 years of living in Darlington. During all of this time, both while in Darlington and then away from it, one of our primary links to the town was Mary Demetrious.
A fast friend, kindred spirit, godmother to one of our children, we would visit Mary as we traveled to Edisto for vacations. And when that part of our life ceased, there were the phone calls – always warm and lively. The calls became less frequent as Mary’s health continued its progressive decline. Several months might elapse, and then a call or a message would come in, a reconnection to a treasured past in Darlington. For us, this “past” was one in which we saw a community transformed largely through the efforts of one dynamic person with extensive connections and ideas – combined with a vast love for her hometown.
The time between contacts with Mary increased in length, and the subject of her perilous health became a primary topic, but Mary never sought pity, and she always spoke of what she would do when her health improved. After we had not heard from Mary for an extended period and had received no response to numerous messages, I delayed doing what my gut told me to do: check the obituaries.
And when I learned that Mary had died in 2015, I was beside myself. The memories of “who” she was, and “what” she did, seem endless. Many of Mary’s friends and allies from those past days are themselves dead – or relocated – but what a list: Dwight Dana, Dorothy and Roy Richardson, Horace Rudisill, the Dargans, the Smiths, Tom and Debbie Edwards, Mr. Mangum – too many to fully enumerate.
But what Mary caused to happen for the good of Darlington: The Historic District, The Blue Sky Mural, The J.C. Daniels Auditorium, Darlington’s “Birthday,” the benefits to the Historical Commission, the Landmark Conference. And then there was Mary’s role in South Carolina politics: Head of the State Democratic Party, Committee woman, Aide to Representative Robin Talon. This list is also lengthy.
But for us, Mary’s most important role was that of “friend.” She would pick up the twins after dance class and take them out to supper, chuckling at how much “those little bodies could eat.” Mary and her mother would bring roses or baklava over for birthdays. She was a fixture in our lives, whether we were near or far. Our world was enriched by her. And certainly, so was Darlington and South Carolina.
God Bless you, Mary, Good and Faithful Servant.
Pam Kennedy
Winchester, VA