Mary Anne Casavant
Born on September 25, 1924 in South Bend, IndianaDeparted October 29, 2023 in Palm Bay, Florida
Mary Anne Casavant passed away peacefully at home at 4:10pm on Sunday, October 29, 2023 when she joined her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was blessed to celebrate her 99th birthday with family and friends.
She was born on September 25, 1924 in South Bend, Indiana, to Julius and Anna Vaszary, who immigrated as teenagers from Hungary to Ellis Island in New York Harbor in the early 1900s. She loved life, learning and school, and went on to become valedictorian of her graduating class of 1942 at Washington High, in South Bend, Indiana.
After high school, Mary Anne studied accounting at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. She worked for several agencies throughout her career, ending with the Senior Nutritional Aid Program (SNAP) in Brevard County, Florida.
Her true vocation was to her family, as a devoted wife and mother. She met her first and only love, Roderick R. Casavant where they both worked in the Hotel Elkhart in Elkhart, Indiana. They were married on November 5, 1955, and remained married for 51 years. They had six children before moving down to Satellite Beach, Florida in 1974, where they co-owned Mather’s Bridge Restaurant in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida.
Mary Anne and Rod had eighteen grandchildren, and she just became a great grandma in February of this year. In her retired years, she enjoyed traveling to visit family and friends and creating cherished memories with her children and grandchildren, both near and far.
She started and managed Holy Name of Jesus Thrift Shop for 15 years, from 1990-2005, until her full retirement in 2005. Mary Anne was dearly loved by her extended family, church family, and community as a Brevard County resident since 1974.
She was preceded in death by her sister Anna Vaszary, her sister-in-law Rena Wayne, her parents Julius & Anna Vaszary, her brother Julius Vaszary, her brother-in-law Earl Way, her sister-in-law Ella Vaszary, her husband Roderick R. Casavant and her siblings Steve Vaszary, Rose Prigge, & Elizabeth Flood, her sister-in-law Claire Way and her daughter-in-law Amy Casavant.
Mary Anne is survived by her children Maria Wallace (Terry Wallace), Roderick C. Casavant (Anne S. Casavant), Anne Tanner (Bill Tanner), John Casavant, Mark Casavant (Anne M. Casavant), and Wendy Hannaford (Todd Hannaford) and her grandchildren Matt Casavant (Sarah Casavant), Ashley Dsida (Brad Dsida), Brittany Casavant, Bethany Tanner, Heather Wren (Carson Wren), Jordan Tanner, Rebekah Tanner, David Tanner, Joshua Tanner, Anna Soliz (Michael Soliz), Lily Durcholz (Nolan Durcholz), Lauren Casavant, Claire Casavant, Chloe Casavant, Catherine Casavant, Ethan Hannaford, Malynn Hannaford, & Bella Hannaford, and her great-grandchild, Ashton Dsida, along with many nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass/Celebration of Life Service will be held at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 3050 N. Highway A1A, Indialantic, Florida on November 30, 2023 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Samaritan’s Purse Ministry.