Mrs. Metni was born in Alexandria, Egypt on January 10, 1914 to an Orthodox Christian family; she spent most of her childhood and adolescence in Lebanon. A gifted student, she studied at the American University in Beirut (AUB) and was fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish (she later studied Russian). In 1939 she married Spiridon Metni, a registered pharmacist of New York State who opened the first American drug-store and soda-fountain in Beirut. About ten years later, Mrs. Metni began working for the American embassy, where she had a long and distinguished career as an economic and commercial analyst. Her colleagues praised her loyalty and dedication – she often took work home – as well as her excellent memory. When people around the embassy forgot information and phone numbers, they often called Mrs. Metni.

Mrs. Metni retired from the American embassy in 1979 after thirty years of service. In 1983, she was re-employed by the embassy on a short contract basis, to help plan a visit by a U.S. delegation. Tragically, that one-month contract ran from mid-March to late April 1983. On the day of the embassy bombing, April 18, Mrs. Metni was in the cafeteria, in a stairway adjacent to where the car bomb hit. She suffered massive internal injuries as a result of the blast, and passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. She was 69 years old at the time of her death. Her current burial place is unknown.

Mrs. Mary Metni was one of 63 victims of the bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, which took place on April 18, 1983. At approximately 1:05 PM, a truck loaded with nearly 2,000 pounds of explosives careened through the driveway of the American embassy and crashed into the building. A massive explosion ripped through all seven levels of the embassy, sending debris flying hundreds of feet into the air and causing the burning building to collapse on itself. In addition to those who lost their lives, at least 120 people were injured. At the time, it was the deadliest attack on an American diplomatic mission since World War II.

Source of information: https://www.humanrightsiran.net/memorial/story/33104/mary-metni