Alexander (Al) Elias Mamary

Alexander (Al) Elias Mamary was born on January 25^th,1935, in Boston, MA to Arthur and Adlette Mamary. The son of Lebanese immigrants, he was raised in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. His faith and heritage would become the cornerstones of his entire life.

After graduating high school in Somerville, MA, Al attended Tufts University and earned an electrical engineering degree, which came in handy when he hung thousands of Christmas lights throughout every home he owned. Following college, Al began a 25-year career with Westinghouse and moved around the northeastern United States. While living in Pittsburgh, PA, he met the love of his life—Marlene Hallal. The day after they married in Marlene’s hometown, the newlyweds drove across the country to their new home in San Jose, CA, where they lived for nearly ten years and had two children.

In 1976, Al accepted a new position with Westinghouse in Norman, OK. Although his family had no idea where Oklahoma was, Al and Marlene raised their children in Norman and quickly became involved in their church and city communities. As a new and unknown Normanite, Al embraced local events, including an acclaimed performance in the city’s famed Red Stocking Follies. To this day, his family is embarrassed to hear “Let the Sunshine In” from the musical, Hair. Insert joke here.  

In the early 1980s, Al changed careers and became a realtor, a profession he embraced for more than 35 years. He was named Norman Realtor of the Year multiple times and was active in the real estate community throughout his career. Al became a well-known figure in Norman and served as the United Way of Norman’s fundraising campaign chair twice. He took continuing education courses at the University of Oklahoma and enjoyed cooking classes and cultural events around the area regularly.

An avid traveler, Al and his family ventured to Europe numerous times, where he acquired new culinary techniques and ideas eagerly. His homemade pasta and Christmas beef Wellington were legendary, and Al never hesitated to invent dishes with produce and herbs from his garden. He also loved to learn new languages, particularly Italian and French, which he used in the wrong country frequently. Fortunately, Al was more proficient in Arabic, the native tongue of his parents. In 1999, he and Marlene made the trip of a lifetime to the Middle East, where Al visited his ancestral home of Lebanon and met relatives for the first time.

Most importantly, Al served the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America throughout his life in various positions on local, regional, and national levels. He was the choir director at St. Elijah Orthodox Christian Church in Oklahoma City, OK for over three decades, a position he undertook with love and humility. Al taught countless people about liturgical music and Church history ceaselessly and unselfishly while being a godfather to many Orthodox Christians. Nothing was more important to Al than serving the Church and everyone around him, which he did until the end of his life.

Al is survived by his wife, Marlene, daughter, Alex Nassief (Mark), son, Greg Mamary, and grandchildren, Samantha and Luke Nassief. He is also survived by his brother, George Mamary, and his nephew and niece, Arthur and Adlette Mamary.