Former restaurant owner, arts patron and community activist Mary Gekas died Sunday. She was 89.
Gekas was best known as the face of the famous Palomino restaurant on North Swan Road and East Fort Lowell Road. The eatery served celebrities, presidents and locals for nearly 20 years.
Gekas was born in 1917 as the oldest daughter of Peter and Eugenia Sfarnas, Greek immigrants who owned a candy shop in Pennsylvania.
She moved to Tucson in 1940s with her husband, John Gekas, in an effort to help with his tuberculosis.
The couple opened the Venice Garden restaurant, which became the Palomino in 1942. After selling it, the Gekases re- acquired the Palomino in 1968.
Her husband fell ill many years before he died in 1982, and for many years she ran the Palomino by herself.
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"She did it all," oldest daughter Kiki Kinkade said. "She took care of the restaurant, her husband and the children. My mother did it all."
While warm and kind, family members shared stories about how strict and businesslike Gekas could be when it was necessary.
In a time when women didn't usually run businesses, Gekas would often deal with liquor salesmen and male butchers, niece Maria Houpis said. Gekas' business acumen became a model for Houpis when she got older, she said.
"It was wonderful to have that type of mentor," Houpis said.
Even after the Palomino closed in 1994, Gekas was heavily involved in the arts, her church and theater.
She was a prime benefactor of the Arizona Opera for almost 20 years and was president of the Arizona Opera Dames from 1980 to 1986.
"She always wanted to help, be it time or money," friend Evelyn Doll said. "She would give anything she could."
Gekas never spoke a word about her good deeds to friends or relatives. Kinkade said that often family members would find plaques and ribbons long after they had been presented.
"She was very behind-the-scenes, a very humble person," Kinkade said.
Gekas' hospitality existed inside and outside the restaurant. Family members and friends said the Gekas household was open to anyone, and Mary Gekas was ready to provide anything she could to her guests.
"She helped create programs in the city that are still in place today," former City Manager Joel Valdez said, citing her work with juveniles.
Gekas went through a series of strokes in her later years, but relatives said she always was there for friends and family members.
"She never stopped smiling," Kinkade said.
In addition to Kinkade, Gekas is survived by her other children, Genie Patterson and Jim Gekas, and by her sister Doree Drakos.
A memorial service will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Valley Funeral Home, 2545 N. Tucson Blvd.
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