Mercy A. (Avtges) Papastathis of Winchester, MA, formerly of Watertown, MA and Woburn, MA, passed away on June 30, 2026 at the age of 96. Born on April 29, 1930, to the late Alexander D. and Penelope (Vourvoulia) Avtges, Mercy was the loving wife of the late Arthur Peter Papastathis, loving mother of Paula Papastathis and Peter Papastathis and his wife Dorothea, cherished YiaYia of Arthur Papastathis, Alexa Papastathis and her fiance Aron, and Samantha Papastathis, and treasured sister of James Avtges and his late wife Christine. Mercy is additionally survived by, and pre-deceased by, many dear, life-long friends and relatives, who were a true blessing in her life.After leaving John Hancock early on in her career to raise her children, Mercy eventually held part-time jobs, but she was always home when her children returned from school. After the loss of her husband in 1981, Mercy resumed work full time, eventually settling in at the US District Court of Massachusetts in Boston where she worked in the Office of the Clerk from 1983 until her retirement in 1998.Mercy was active in the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Woburn, where she sang in the church choir for many years and was a member of the Ladies Philoptochos Society.Mercy enjoyed swimming, the sun, and being by the ocean. She particularly enjoyed rides to Gloucester, the New Hampshire coast, and York, Maine. She looked forward to Fall foliage expeditions including apple picking and leaf peeping. Mercy was proud of her Greek heritage, she loved traditional Greek food and pastries and always worked tirelessly cooking and baking to uphold holiday traditions. Mercy was a tremendous cook.In her later life, Mercy enjoyed watching old movies, reading news and playing word games on her iPads, texting her grandchildren, FaceTiming with her brother, playing cards (she was the Crazy Eights “Champion of the World”), and dining on her kids’ delicious home cooked meals and her favorite clam chowder complements of her dear friends and neighbors. She also enjoyed watching all kinds of sports.We will miss Mercy’s kind and gentle heart and her quiet strength, but most of all we will miss her never-ending love. May her memory be eternal.Funeral arrangements are private. Donations may be made to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Woburn, 70 Montvale Ave, 01801.