Mary Ann (Nasser) Tanoos

Mary Ann Nasser Tanoos was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on August 7th, 1933, to Syrian immigrants, Thomas Nasser & Hend Nasser and peacefully passed away on December 21st, 2025 surrounded by her family.

Both of Mary Ann’s parents had immigrated around the turn of the century from Ein El Sharra, Syria to join other family members that had already relocated to Terre Haute.  A graduate of Wiley High School in 1951, Mary Ann worked with her parents and siblings in the family grocery store on the NE corner of 7th and Washington Streets in Terre Haute and, as was the tradition in the Syrian Community at the time, the family lived above the store.

Thomas “Tommy” Tanoos was the son of Syrian Immigrants, Pete and Bondar (Wanda) Hanna Tanoos. Tommy’s parents also had a neighborhood grocery store at 10th & Hulman Streets in Terre Haute – not far from the Nassers’ neighborhood store.  Tommy had served in the Korean War and upon his return, he opened his own grocery store at 8th and Grant Streets in Terre Haute.  In addition to opening his store, he also opened his eyes and noticed the little Nasser girl five years his junior when he left for the war was no longer a little girl and had blossomed into a beautiful young lady.  The local Syrian community was very close and everyone certainly knew each other and chances are, had mutual relatives.

Mary Ann and Tommy’s families were no different. The two of them began dating and on June 20th, 1954, they were married. It wasn’t long before they began their family and they would over the next few years become the parents of four sons.  

Tommy was a Terre Haute police officer and despite that he also did remodeling jobs for extra income, it became apparent that Mary Ann would need to work to supplement the family’s income to help raise the four boys.  Mary Ann started working as a secretary for Rueben Donnelly and then began doing what she knew best – working in a grocery store.  She worked as a Cashier and then moved into the office of Great Scott Grocery Store. What started out as a temporary job to help with expenses became a career of  18 years before Mary Ann retired.   Along the way, as the boys were getting older and participating in activities, as a necessity, Mary Ann had learned to drive later in life.  When asked recently if she would change anything about her life, she said, “Not really.  I’d have done it just the same all over again but maybe I would have learned to drive earlier although I really didn’t need to.  My brother and sisters drove me everywhere and even if I had a driver’s license, we couldn’t afford a car, so I really didn’t need to drive.  And then, I got married and Tommy drove everywhere.”  

Although Mary Ann attended St. Joseph School and learned the Rosary at a  very young age, and something she continued to recite throughout her life, the Nasser and Tanoos families were both Antiochian Orthodox and St. George of Terre Haute became the center of their family’s universe.

Mary Ann sang in the church choir for 70+ years and all four of their sons served in the Altar, and the whole family has been involved in almost every aspect of the church.  The Tanoos family remained very close with Mary Ann serving as our matriarch and every Sunday after church, the family would congregate for Sunday Dinner and share in Mary Ann’s culinary skills – most often, Arabic dishes. 

Always up for a party, there's little doubt Mary Ann will be celebrating Jesus’s Birthday with Him this year, along with Tommy and her family, rather than with us. 

Mary Ann is survived by her four sons:  Anthony “Tony”  A. Tanoos,  Dr. Daniel “Danny” T. Tanoos and his wife, Claudia, who was not only the daughter Mary Ann never had, but her “cooking buddy” and instrumental in her health care over these last several years, Peter J. Tanoos, and Thomas Jacob “T.J.” (Debbie).  Also surviving are her grandchildren: William T. Tanoos (Katie), Anthony A. Tanoos II (Breana), Daniel T. Tanoos, Jr. (Ashlee), Christopher M. Keller, Jacob T. Tanoos, Peter J. Tanoos II (Abigail), Alec K. Tanoos, Ezekial J. “Zeke” Tanoos, and Gabriella M. Tanoos.  She is also survived by Great-Grandchildren: Jack Tanoos, Nora Tanoos, Preston Tanoos, Mila Tanoos, Illiana Tanoos, Anthony Tanoos III, Tommy Lou Tanoos, Ben Toric, & Crew Tanoos.  She is also survived by her Sisters-In-Law, Shirley Farah Nasser & Rosemarie Farah Tanoos, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and her St. George Church family.

Mary Ann was predeceased by her parents, Thomas & Hend Nasser, her loving husband of nearly 62 years, Thomas “Tommy” Tanoos, her in-laws, Pete & Wanda Tanoos, her sisters, Sadie Nasser, Rose Nasser Sabb and her husband, Joseph C. Sabb, Sr., Rachel Nasser Ellis, her brother, George T. Nasser, her brother-in-law, Louis Tanoos and his wife, Shamiyeh, her sister-in-law, Mary Tanoos, and her brother-in-law, Richard “Dickie” Tanoos. 

Serving as Pallbearers will be her grandchildren led by her cousin, Joseph Tanoos, who served as the ring bearer in their wedding. 

Services will be at St. George Orthodox Church, 1900 South 4th Street, Terre Haute, Indiana on Friday,  December 26th, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.  with The Reverend Fr. Habib Ghantous, The Reverend Anthony Yazge, and The Rev. Archdeacon Elias Corey officiating. Visitation will begin at 10:00 until services  Burial will be at Roselawn Memorial Park. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for those that desire to make a donation to St. George Orthodox Church of Terre Haute. 

Greiner Funeral Home was entrusted with arrangements.  

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