Mary Zemanovich Best

Mary Zemanovich Best, age 98 Mary Zemanovich Best died peacefully at Deane Hill Place, Knoxville, TN, on November 18, 2017, following a brief illness, one month shy of her 99th birthday. With glamour and determination, she led an extraordinary life. She was born December 26, 1918, in the village of Dolna Suca, in what is now Slovakia, the second child of John Zemanovich and Catherine Sedivy. In 1922, at the age of four, Mary, her mother, and older brother George arrived at Ellis Island, reuniting with their father who had immigrated to America a year earlier. They settled in Hillside, NJ, where her parents ran a grocery store. She attended Hillside High School, but left at age 16 during the Great Depression to work in a factory. She often said, I got a job that paid 25 cents an hour in 1934, and you dont leave a job when it pays 25 cents an hour because that was pretty good. Like thousands of girls at that time, she loved going to the movies and dreamed of becoming an actress. She became a member of the Little Theatre in Newark, NJ and decided then and there that her life would include acting. In 1947, she met John R. Best, Jr., a WWII veteran from Tennessee. John reenlisted in the Army Air Force in 1949 and was accepted into the officers training program, becoming a navigator on B-52 bombers. He served in the Air Force for a total of 27 years, achieving the rank of Colonel. Mary and John were married in 1948 and spent this chapter of their lives moving from military base to military base. Wherever they were stationed, she joined community theater groups, pursuing her love of acting. Playbills from their time in Shreveport, LA are filled with accolades of her talent, playing the lead in The Subject was Roses, A Man for all Seasons, Mary of Scotland and many other major roles. She had fulfilled her long-time dream of becoming a successful actress. In addition to acting, Mary was employed full time managing the Normandy Village Apartments in Shreveport from 1970-1982. In 1982, John and Mary settled in the Best family home in Greenback, TN. It was then that Mary decided to fulfill another life-long goal of obtaining a college degree. After passing the GED high school equivalency exam, at the age of 68 she enrolled as a part-time student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. With her usual persistence and determination, in 1996, at the age of 78, she graduated with a B.A. degree in theater, followed by a second B.A. degree in communications three years later. When asked what she was going to do with her diplomas, Mary replied she would hang them on the wall and admire them. After Johns death in 1999, Mary moved to Knoxville and in recent years settled in at Sherrill Hills where she enjoyed the many activities offered, particularly playing bridge on a regular basis. Although still driving and living independently into her late 90s, she felt it was time to join the assisted living community at Deane Hill Place as the remarkable energy that had propelled her to achieve many accomplishments declined. Predeceased by her parents, husband, and brothers George Zemanovic and Edward Zemanovich of New Jersey, she leaves behind her sister, Julia Z. Hosford of Princeton, NJ, nephew Edwin J. Best, Jr. and his wife Caroline of Maryville, TN, sister-in-law Marie Zemanovich of Carteret, NJ, niece and goddaughter Christine Kent of Princeton, NJ, and many other nieces and nephews who will sorely miss their aunt of surprising accomplishments. Funeral arrangements were private. Mary will be buried with her husband Colonel John R. Best, Jr. at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 5901 Lyons View Pike, in Knoxville. The family wishes to acknowledge and express their gratitude to Marys caregivers, Tonya Sigall, Nastassia Smith, Misty Moore and Tameon Williams for their diligent and compassionate care during Marys last weeks.