Marybeth Chaconas

She lit up the room wherever she went, and wherever she went, she immediately made dozens of friends.
Marybeth Chaconas was born in Annandale, Virginia. She loved animals and decided at an early age to be a veterinarian. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria in 1977, where - to the surprise of those who were later drawn to her effervescent personality - she was a self-described science nerd. She attended Virginia Tech, where she graduated in 1981 with a degree in Animal Science. She went on to study at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated with a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1986.
After graduation, she moved to Annapolis with her first husband, George Chaconas, while he finished his medical studies and she worked at VCA South Arundel Animal Hospital. In 1990, she followed him to Roanoke, where he did his residency at what is now Carilion Clinic.
Not only did George give her a last name she liked better than the one she had, he also gave her the four children she’d always longed for. Parenting was one of her greatest skills. She never lost sight of the fact that she was not only raising four children, she was raising four individuals. And she often took other people’s children under her wing.
From 1990 until 2007, she was officially a stay-at-home mom, but dove headfirst into her new role and was involved in all of her kids’ activities. The fact that she and George lived at Smith Mountain Lake and the things she wanted to do were mostly in Roanoke meant that she and the kids probably spent as much time in the family Suburban as they did at home.
A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, she raised her children in the church and volunteered with the Religious Education program, where she was instrumental in bringing Our Whole Lives, an acclaimed sexuality education program, to the church’s middle schoolers. She worked the annual service auction and sang in the choir. She also attended the denomination’s Southern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute, where she was a youth mentor, led outdoor programs and made many lifelong friends.
Marybeth loved music and sometimes sang with bands George played in. For nearly 30 years, she appeared at Roanoke’s Festival in the Park and 3rd Street Coffeehouse with her friend and singing partner, Betsy. Marybeth was never fazed by Betsy’s utter disregard for meter and always sang along like she knew exactly what was coming next.
As her children grew older and got involved with Scouting and Venturing, she joined them, working her way up from den leader to being awarded the Silver Beaver - the highest recognition at the council level. She also became a BSA National Camp School Certified Aquatics Instructor, was in charge of waterfront activities at camp. She made many Scouter friends along the way.
In 2007, she began working at Franklin County Humane Society Planned Pethood and Adoption Center as Veterinarian in Charge. While working there, she matched many of her friends with much-loved animal companions.
In April 2008, she was single again, and friends arranged a date for her with some guy from church. He turned out to be the love of her life, and she and Todd were inseparable from then on. They shared a love of animals, good beer, and spending time with her children, who welcomed him into their sprawling family. They married on January 9, 2017 on the island of St.John.
In 2021, at a time in life when most people are thinking of settling down, she and Todd took off for the Pacific Northwest for her dream job as Veterinarian in Charge at Willamette Animal Guild in Eugene, Oregon. They found a home in the nearby City of Veneta, and spent their free time enjoying the gorgeous scenery. They joined the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, where Marybeth sang in the choir and was a member of the auction committee, while Todd did whatever she told him to do.
In April, Marybeth was diagnosed with an aggressive form of terminal brain cancer. Because there was nothing she loved more than a good party, she, Todd, and daughter Kinny flew to Blacksburg, where she held court at a local Airbnb while her friends streamed in and out by the dozens. She spent one day greeting friends at a brewery in Roanoke, where one visitor estimated a third of the crowd was there just to see her. Not one to be held back by illness, she was still partying at 11 p.m. One of her children noted that the event was “exactly what she wanted.”
Before she, Todd, and Kinny could return to the west coast, she slipped into a coma and passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family. One of the nurses brought a guitar, and played her favorite song: “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
Marybeth was predeceased by her parents, Leonard and Mary McKinnon Brown. She is survived by her husband, Todd Hannabass; her children, Derek (Helene), Kinny, Bram (Angela) and Troy; her brother, Johnathan, her sister Pam; her beloved former in-laws Harry and Alice Chaconas, aunts, uncles, “cousins by the dozens,” and more friends than most people could make in three lifetimes. She is missed every day by those who loved her.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday June 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke at 2015 Grandin RD SW Roanoke VA 24015.