Maria Yotides

AUGUSTA – Maria Yotides, 93, passed away peacefully on June 8, 2024. Born in Winslow, on May 8, 1931, Maria was the only daughter and last surviving child of James and Olga (Boodry) Yotides, of the first Greek pioneers to settle permanently in the Winslow/Waterville area in 1907.

Maria made her family extremely proud, graduating with honors from Winslow high school, class of 1949. She continued her pursuit of higher education at Westbrook College in Portland, becoming the first member of the Yotides family to obtain a collegiate degree in 1951. Following her schooling, she worked alongside her parents and brothers in the family business, City Cab, on Siver Street in Waterville, serving their local community and visiting guests for decades.

Known for her wit, vibrant personality, and spunky sense of style, Maria’s energy was contagious and brought to life any room she entered. Her memory will live on through photos and family stories of her adventurous spirit and passion for good fun, not the least of which included her love of an Elvis Presley sing-a-long!

Maria was predeceased by her parents and siblings: George, Konstantina, Thomas, Spiro (Spike) and Antonios.

She is survived by her nieces, nephews and their growing families along the East Coast. Together, the family extends its heartfelt appreciation to the Directors and staff of the Maine General Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care at Glenridge in Augusta, especially the members of the Cove, for the thoughtful care and community it provided to Maria for the last several years of her life. She was well loved by the entire staff.

In her niece’s book “Don’t Worry About a Thing – Growing Up in Maine”, Katherine Yotides Sullivan wrote of her Aunt Maria: “Maria may not have looked like the movie stars on the pages of the magazines she kept in the waiting room (of the taxi stand), but she had an outgoing personality and many friends, and she was so much fun…People she knew stopped in to chat even when they didn’t need a cab. I never heard her complain…”

There will be a graveside service on Tuesday June 18, 2024 at 1 p.m., at Pine Grove Cemetery, Grove Street in Waterville.