REMEMBERING BELOVED PARISHIONER – Elizabeth Rosko Macario – "MAY QUEEN" – May 25, 1932 – December 30, 2020
Tuesday, May 20, 2014 EDT by Mary Ann Meyer
Remembrance Memorandum for May Queen: Elizabeth Macario
Elizabeth Rosko Macario was born May 25, 1932 in Branchdale, PA. She married William B Macario on August 30, 1958 and was married 47 years until his death in April 2006. They had two children, Angela and Michael. Angela Schulte resides in Maryland with her husband, Rick. Michael Macario resides in NC with his wife, Lisa and their children, Garett and Laney.
PERSONAL STORY FROM ANGELA SCHULTE
While growing up, Mom was a homemaker. She enjoyed doing ceramics. We would go together to ceramic classes and make different pieces for the holidays. Many of the ceramic pieces still to this day hang on my Christmas tree. Mom was also a very good cook. On occasional Sunday dinners, my mom would make homemade spaghetti and homemade sauce. The dinner would be served in a two course meal with the first course of pasta and the second course of salad and pot roast. We at times had company for Sunday dinners and my parents would forget to tell the guests there would be multiple courses. It was always fun to see how the guests would react after filling up on pasta and that there was a second course still to be eaten. Mom also made the best Halupki. Despite, how I hear how excellent the church's Halupki were, I still believe my mom's would have been the best.
Mom, you are loved and will be missed. May you rest in peace. Angela
WHY DID WE CALL ELIZABETH MAY QUEEN?
Michelle Rubush remembers that Elizabeth was chosen as the May Queen at her church growing up and Lance Morgan remembers seeing a picture with her wearing a tiara as a child. So once Father Rick found that out, he started calling her May Queen. Nancy Driscoll recalls Elizabeth wearing the tiara each year on her birthday.
Sometimes May Queen wore a Santa hat. These pictures were submitted by Mary Ann and Chris Meyer and were taken many years ago on the patio when the St. Nicholas Market was held on the church grounds.
Cariacature from Oktoberfest 2010.
HAPPY TIMES!
Happy 81st Birthday, May Queen! (2013)
From Lance Morgan: I have been friends with Elizabeth pretty much from the first day I met her. I told her she was a feisty one and she told me to pound some sand. From that day forward we were fast friends. She knew what she thought and was not bashful to tell me. On many topics we agreed. I was happy to take her to church each Sunday as did other parishioners. Also Walmart on many a Saturday. I miss those rides already. It was also my good fortune to be able to visit with her when she had the apartment. Those years are precious, too. Elizabeth was a fun person to be around for me. With the Pennsylvania mindset in the south. We spent many a night on the phone just chatting about our pasts. Remembering good times. This happened on an average of three to four times a week. She was in positive spirits right up through the last days. I suspect she expected to be up and back in her original room soon. The Lord calling her home was a welcome surprise. She did not fear her passing. I miss her very much! She is in my Eternal Memory. Love you May Queen.
From Chris and Mary Ann Meyer: Chris and I have known May Queen/Elizabeth for quite a few years, since we've been in the parish some 30+ years now. On the Sunday's we came to church, I/we would look for her in her "spot" in the back row, right side or, later, she moved to the back row left side. We would come 30 minutes before Liturgy and have a little chat about life, health, the "old days" and family. There were times when Chris and I had either a surgery or an illness here and there and she would always tell us of the Rosary she prayed each day for us and everyone in the parish. So much appreciated! I miss the times after Divine Liturgy, when we would sit in the hall and chat some more, and then either of us would "sneak" in line and get her a nice brunch, choosing items she loved which she'd never pass up, like perogies, ham, chicken, haluski, stuffed cabbage and a little coffee – "black please, no sugar." In her later years, she appreciated visits to her home, a phone call, a letter in the mail, as well as trips to church, getting a prescription, Chinese food, or a visit when she was in rehab. She told me in these last few years, she wasn't able to put together a Pascha basket for blessing at Easter (as her health had changed), so we made sure she had one at church to be blessed and which she could take home with kielbasa, cheese cake, Pascha bread and other traditional "fixins." Noteworthy, she could always be relied upon to help with the baking preparations each year for our Annual St. Nicholas Market, especially pierogi and stuffed cabbage preparation. In my "younger" days, I was learning about these traditions, and she would lead us in the proper technique for pinching the dough for perogies, and how to roll up the stuffed cabbage, just so, and layer them. Thinking about those "fun times" and the comradery we all had as a parish was very enriching and will always bring a smile to our faces! Eternal memory, eternal memory, blessed repose, eternal memory!
From Rachel Blair: My time with May Queen was often interesting. Some days I feared she was mad at me, while other days she would surprise me by going out of her way to connect with our family. She would play and tease the kids. She had a unique relationship with Elias, often sneaking him food/goodies. They would make cute faces at each other. She made it possible for my kids to have their current swing set that came from her son's family. During the last few years her relationship with our family, particularly Tony, grew. She liked to have Tony bring her the Eucharist and looked forward to their time together. Often she would send him home with food she had received through the food pantry, but didn't use. It was a very kind gesture. She was a wonderful presence in our church family embodying the set-in-her-ways wisdom of the past and the mature faith that has stood the test of time. We love you May Queen. You will be missed. Love, The Blair's – Tony, Rachel, Sophie, Avaleigh, Elias, Liam and Jonas
Elizabeth was our expert pinching pierogies. Who knows how many thousands she pinched over her life time?
(Picture submited by Michelle Rubush) (Pictures submited by Jane Dunbar)
This is also "her seat" in the hall regardless of the occasion. Just like we all navigate to that part of the church where we like to sit, we would always know which seat was "reserved" for Elizabeth.
Her presence is missed! Eternal Memory! Marianne Sapsara
From Pani Liz Jones
"The thing of it is…" (a frequent May Queen-ism)I REALLY don't want to be writing this, but then I guess none of us who called Sts. Cyril & Methodius Cary our parish community whether (in person or via remote) want to be penning any words about May Queen just now. I'm sure we all KNEW it was inevitable, but she had already made some plans in advance and had asked some of us to help in different little ways, and we would do and assist in whatever way would be needed when her time came but THAT would surely be someday off in the distant future…
We met May Queen when we met the Parish. At first I can't say that I really knew what her connection or role was at Cyril & Methodius, but she definitely played a part and was "holding court" at liturgies (and after) on Sundays and holy days as long as her health was holding up enough to allow her. As we got to know her bit by bit I looked forward to the simple conversation before or after liturgy. "How are you doing May Queen?" and she would reply simply "good" or It was sometimes she would say "about the same". After liturgy if there was a fellowship meal, she was very appreciative when one of the parish would make her a plate or bowl if there was soup. My goodness she loved soup!
May Queen depended on other parishioners to give her rides to and from liturgies or parish activities so she often stayed and chatted a little while she was waiting to ride home with one of you. I'm not exactly sure how organized it was but it seemed there was a whole staff of C & M parishioners "ubering" her around before and after church or events and doctor visits and shopping trips, too. I got to know her a little more here and there as well when I got to "uber" her around. I was just "filling in though" the rest of you I KNOW were the REAL "heroes" to her, though she wasn't prone to necessarily say much about it directly. I kinda asked her from time to time if "so and so" had been driving her here and there or whatever and whoever I inquired about she would say something like "Yeah, they're good to me. They're always good to me." No matter who I mentioned, and I can name about 8-10 people from the parish that I know firsthand and there's likely another 5-10 or even more. Some it seemed were ALWAYS "ubering" her about. She may NOT have always said it but she was VERY grateful especially when she didn't even HAVE to ask. She knew everybody had other things to do, work, school, family obligations, meetings or other appointments, etc.
Again after we moved & we only talked on the phone, May Queen would always tell me (about everyone back home at Cyril & Methodius) that "yeah, they are good to me". Then I'd ask if she'd eaten anything good lately, she'd mention soup someone had brought her or a meal out to Chinese buffet or she would brag about someone's eggplant parmesan or lasagna, or other item. I had never in my life met anyone who held such affection for eggplant! AS long as I live, I don't think I can eat a bite of eggplant without thinking how much May Queen enjoyed all the various eggplant dishes everyone had shared with her either in restaurants, or your homes or when she couldn't go out much delivered to her little apartment. Now I have to admit, I never even cared for eggplant at all and basically avoided it UNTIL there was May Queen! It was kind of funny. She never said that I had to "try" a bite of it or anything, but her "enthusiasm" for it was so animated that I grew fond of it myself.
When she was still able to be "out and about" she enjoyed gathering with as many people as could fit at the table in the restaurant we were in. She always appreciated the rides to the restaurant as well as those who assisted her getting her items for her if it was a buffet, but most of all, she appreciated the company. It's what I think she missed the most when her health or pandemic prevented any sort of church or social participation. I remember her "holding court" in the church hall when there were pierogi or nutrolls or kiffles to be made. She definitely "put me in my place" a couple of times when she didn't think the "pinching" was sufficient. She did not hesitate to admonish me to remove or redo a pierogi that she thought had "too much edging." She didn't like the wasting of extra dough like "Mrs. T" apparently, but preferred a well stuffed pierogi whether it was potato or kraut or lekvar, but I think she liked the lekvar or kraut the best. But I can't ACTUALLY recall her declining an opportunity to eat (or at least take home) any food that came from Cyril & Methodius events. Honestly, while we were still in Cary, it didn't seem like any official event was even going to happen until she was there to "hold court." She may not have been able to manage to stay the whole time but she didn't really wanna miss it WHATEVER was going on. She enjoyed the halupki and some kolbasi and pizza, too! She was always quick to let us know how they "used to make things in time gone by." It was nice to have our resident "Baba."
It was interesting how she got calls from Father Rick and the kids when they went off on trips from time to time. She got a kick out of hearing what "adventures" they had been on while in the "unofficial church van". May Queen was tickled to get the calls from the road and hear what the kids were up to. Then other times some of the kids helped make a meal at our house and she was brought in as the honored guest and there was pasta involved but she loved the efforts even without any eggplant on that occasion. May Queen told us about the traditions of her youth, and she was named the May Queen many, many years ago, I think 1950, and how she belonged to her rosary group at church and Sodality and how she had worked in a factory as a seamstress.
She had been born and raised Ruthenian and brought up in Minersville PA at Sts. Peter & Paul parish but went to a Roman Catholic church after she was married until she came to Cyril & Methodius as a widow.
May Queen had a spiritual practice of praying the rosary every day at 3 PM "the hour of mercy," but I only learned this by calling her after 2:30 PM and she would say, "I gotta go now I wanna do my rosary at 3." She prayed for ALL of us, everyone at the parish who was sick or in hospital or looking for work or having a baby or whatever the occasion…MAY QUEEN PRAYED FOR EACH REQUEST mentioned to her in addition to her own FAMILY because we WERE her own family. And she spoke to us like family. When I would call to let her know I was leaving to pick her up to take her somewhere, she'd just say, "Lemme put my pants on" and then hang up. If somebody else was picking her up or she had to "excuse herself" she didn't mince words and just said, "I gotta go" and just hang up.
We only talked once or twice a month at most the past year but I miss those chats when she would ask for prayers for various family or friends from church, other times she would call with the good news when someone who had had surgery was doing better. Other times I would call her and we would talk about her latest encounter with soup or her silly affection eggplant or how she used to like whisky sours when she was younger (and medications didn't restrict). She was starting to struggle to remember the seasonal greetings in Slavonic but she always wanted to try. She valued her heritage and did her best to share what she could. May Queen loved her faith and her fellowship with everyone at Cyril & Methodius. I'm sure May Queen was "ready to go" as she had told me so, but I woulda liked to hear her say "Lemme get my pants on" just one more time. But for now I gotta go…
May Queen may be missed, but she's NOT missing, because I know exactly where she is. Vichnaya Pamjat, May Queen.
APR 10: PALM AND FLOWERY SUNDAY & EASTERN CHRISTIAN FORMATION CLASS DAY
MAY 5 & 7: COMMEMORATION OF ST. JOHN APOSTLE & EVANGELIST
OCT 1: FEAST OF THE PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS (SOLEMN HOLY DAY)
FEB 6: SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN & THE PHARISEE (4TH SUNDAY BEFORE THE GREAT FAST) & PRE-LENTEN READING PREPARATION
Filed Under: Inactive