Emily D. (Kapinos) Mazur

Emily D. Mazur was a civic-minded businesswoman who seized every opportunity to be active in her community.

Emily was born in the Three Rivers section of Palmer, Massachusetts, on May 18, 1926, to the late Stanley T. and Mary M. (Motyka) Kapinos. She lived in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield, Massachusetts until she moved to Ludlow, Massachusetts, in 1930.

A 1943 graduate of Ludlow High School, she went on to become a member of the 1947 graduating class of the University of Massachusetts. In 1951, she graduated from New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences and was a member of their second-generation club. She also became a licensed funeral director that year.

Together with her husband Ben S. Mazur, Emily owned and operated for over 32 years the Grey-Nook Flower and Gift Shop and she was a member of the Florists Transworld Delivery Association.

Emily served as president of the Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home in Ludlow. She was a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, and a member of the Western Massachusetts Independent Funeral Directors Group. She also took part in the National Funeral Directors Celebration of Freedom Campaign, an effort to raise funds for the National World War II Memorial.

A communicant of Christ the King Church, she was a parish lector for many years and was also a worker for the parish picnics. She was a member of the Catholic Women’s Club of Springfield and a friend of Union of Christ Church.

Emily’s community involvement seemed almost limitless. She was an elected town meeting member from Precinct 4 in Ludlow and she also served on the original Ludlow High School sights and survey committee. She was a member of the Polish American Women’s Citizens Club of Ludlow.

Taking on many leadership roles, Emily’s civic activism continued. She served as president of the Cornet Square Condominium Corporation in Hollywood, Florida. She was also a member and past president of the Ludlow Mothers Club, the East Street School PTA, and the Ludlow Present Day Club. As a charter member and past president of the Ludlow Music Society, Emily played a key roll in the fundraising efforts of “Vienna ‘75” where $90,000 was raised to send the Ludlow High School Band to Vienna, Austria, to participate in the International Youth and Music Festival. She was named neighbor of the month by Bay State Gas Company for her fundraising efforts.

For 27 years, Emily was a member and past 2-time president to Quota International of Springfield. She was named Quotarion of the Year in 1994 and was named Career Person of the Year in 1996.

She was a member of the American Diabetes Association and among her other awards and recognition, she received a citation from them for soliciting thousands of signatures in a petition drive. Emily was an avid traveler with the Jewish Community Center of Springfield and was a member of the Maguire Center morning swim group.

Emily, 74, died at BayState Medical Center on Saturday, December 2, 2000.

She was predeceased by her husband who died on August 13, 1991. She is survived by three sons, Thomas S. and Edward P. Mazur of Ludlow, and Robert J. of Johnston, Rhode Island; daughters-in-law of Maxine C. (Bizon) Mazur, Kim (Methe) Mazur, and Diane (Blevins) Mazur; granddaughters, Danielle R. and Monica E. Mazur; several nieces and nephews; and loving friends Muffy, Honey, and Kelsey.