Deceased’s funeral arrangements: Johnson Funeral Home. Services have been held. Those of you who would like to honor Mary Sue’s memory, may do so by giving a gift supporting ovarian cancer research. You can mail in a check or donate on line as follows: Mail in a check: Mary Sue Sochan Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, c/o Dr. Jonathan Berek, M.D., Director Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Dr., HG332, Stanford, CA, 94305 or contact Kerry at (650) 723-5533 or donate on-line: 1. Click on this website: http://medicalgiving.stanford.edu, 2. Click the gift box/Make a Difference icon on the opening screen, 3. Select the “Stanford Medical Center” and the “School of Medicine – Other” choices, 4. Put Ovarian Cancer Research Fund in the Special Instructions box, 5. Click on the ” In Memory of” button under options and fill out the relevant boxes and indicate Mary Sue Sochan. This will allow Stanford to notify the Sochan family of gifts made in Mary Sue’s memory. Mark’s address is 9539 Via Del Cielo, Gilroy, CA 95020. Every donation helps the medical school and is appreciated. Every little contribution can make a difference. We are very grateful for your generosity.
Mary Sue Sochan slipped away from us and into the arms of the Lord, on December 10th, 2014, after a valiant battle with ovarian cancer.
Mary Sue was deeply loved by her husband, Mark and her three sons, Nikolai, Aleksander, and Kristof.
She is survived by her mother, Jeannine Terrell, (father, Jack, deceased), father-in-law, Harry (mother-in-law, Roxanne, deceased), her sisters, Kathy Pollock (Bryan) and Jennifer Terrell-Pin (Steve), brothers, Michael Terrell (Jennifer) and Patrick Terrell, (Natalie Lynch), brothers-in-law, Roman (Kathleen), Paul (Wendy), and Dan, sister-in-law, Joan Mentanski, 21 nieces and nephews, and our very special “adopted niece”, Katie Sadler. Piper and Cielo, the family pets, have brought a special joy to Mary Sue.
Each and every member of Mary Sue and Mark’s family has been touched in a special way by Mary Sue’s magical spirit.
Mary Sue was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. She lived an adventurous life on a beautiful lake in Northern Ontario where she developed her love for the outdoors.
She attended Laurentian University and then the University of Waterloo to study Economics. It was while at Waterloo that she met the love of her life, Mark.
After traveling and working in Australia, they married in Vancouver, Canada. They spent three years exploring the west coast by bike, boat and foot.
Nikolai’s birth was the catalyst for settling down to a fulfilling family life. In the year 2000, the family uprooted themselves and set off on their next adventure, life in California.
In California, Mary Sue and her family enjoyed skiing, hiking, exploring their new home in the RV and in Mark’s Piper airplane.
When Mary Sue decided that the family needed a pet, she found the best dog ever. She called him Piper and joked that while Mark had his “Piper”, she had hers as well.
Mary Sue will always be with us when we gather, in the sunrise and the sunset, in the mountains and on the trails. She will be there in the surf along the ocean as we walk and contemplate life. We will see her in her orchard and every bowl of lemons, in a perfect margarita and in the smiles of her family. Her strong Catholic faith will keep her with us when we bow our heads to pray.
She had an extraordinary sense of humor and will be with us in our laughter. There was always a song in her heart. She taught her sons to love nature, to love one another and to accept love from all those around them. Thanks to her, they will be passionate about life and compassionate with others.
Mary Sue had a way of making anyone and everyone feel welcome and special in her presence. She loved deeply, was fully loved, and drew great strength from her sense of belonging in her community. She snuggled up in our hearts and will always be there.
So many people have gone to great lengths to keep our family healthy and joyful at this difficult time. The family would like to extend special thanks to Mary Sue’s caregivers throughout the last five years – her physician ,Dr. Jonathan Berek and the Stanford medical team and more recently, Hospice of the Valley.
We would also like to thank the entire staff of the Bellarmine College Preparatory School and the Charter School of Morgan Hill, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish community and all the special friends who have been by her side.
