Maria Leila Maricle

Maria Leila Maricle of Pasadena, MD passed away on Friday, March 27, 2026 at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. She was 72. Maria was born on July 15, 1953, in Iraklion, Crete, Greece and was the daughter of the late George Kalaitzakis and Chrisoula Kalaitzakis.

 Maria’s hands were seldom empty. If she wasn’t digging in her garden, she was sewing, quilting, and knitting. In the best of times, her home was full of family, friends, and food… no special occasion necessary. She was a career caregiver, spending her life caring for the children of our military service members at the Child Care Centers on Ft. Meade and Iraklion Air Station, Greece, and as a private caregiver in Ft. Ord, California. It is not an exaggeration to say that she positively affected the lives of thousands of people of all ages. She had a quick wit, cracking jokes with her family right up to the end. She had a huge heart. No one felt more, or cared more than Maria. Mostly, she missed her husband who she lost in July of 2000. She knew she would be with him again. We all hope that the universe makes it so.

 Maria is survived by her loving children, daughter Georgia Maricle Dey, son-in-law James Dey, son Christos Maricle, daughter-in-law Allison St. Denis Maricle, stepson Jimmie Maricle, and stepdaughter-in-law Traci Schumacher Maricle. She will be missed by her beloved grandchildren Michelle Maricle (8), Marilyn Dey (10), Parker Maricle (12), and Jimmie Dey (14). Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Jimmie Ray Maricle. 

The family will receive friends at the Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory, P.A. on Friday, April 3, 2026, from 5pm to 8 pm. Interment will be held at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery at a later date.