Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Wed., July 9, 2014 (written by me, LC-NW.)
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for several decades and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. Not long after she was born her father moved the family to Chihuahua, Mexico where they lived until 1917 when their father moved them back to the United States during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos, Esperanza "Hope" Roberts, and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano; and a brother, Ralph Barela.
Graveside service will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extended Legacy.com obituary (also written by me, LC-NW, and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church in San Diego, via the email she sent to my Mom, Marian's daughter, after Marian passed away):
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father at 5 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for over 40 years and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church. For the last five years of her life she resided at Elmcroft of Point Loma, an Alzheimer's and dementia care facility, where she passed away peacefully.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. In 1917 her father moved the family from Chihuahua, Mexico to El Paso, Texas in an effort to flee to safety during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Marian had a most wonderful and rich singing voice and was an amazing cook (her tamales and empanadas were those a person would never forget!) In her younger years she was a very talented beautician and, in addition to owning her own salon for a time, she also worked for others, including the Golden Door Spa in San Diego. While working there the staff were reportedly not supposed to chat with the guests if they were celebrities, however on one occasion one of the guests (the comedian actor, Jonathan Winters) inadvertently got Marian into trouble for laughing too much at his jokes while she was working on him. In her later years at the Alzheimer's care facility where she resided, the staff commented from time to time that, even in her old age, Marian had the most beautiful skin they had ever seen.
In January 1938 in Las Cruces, New Mexico she married her first husband, Lawrence Aguilar. From that brief marriage was born Marian's only child, Felicia. Marian then married Wilson Trent "Bill" Harris - three separate times (most people might admit that they were both a bit feisty.) Bill passed away in 1957. Between one of the marriages to Bill, Marian had a brief marriage to Doyle McAdoo. Her final marriage was to Otto Stern in May of 1980, who unfortunately passed away just four years later in September 1984.
Otto was a most loving, caring and helpful husband to Marian. He was so concerned for her future care (she was 10 years older than he), that he wasted no time in getting her ready for her elder years. He submitted all the paperwork needed to ensure she had a secured spot at Lion's Manor, a senior living high rise home in downtown at 310 Market Street which allowed her to live, for the most part, quite independently. She was very active with her independence, frequently riding the street car here and there, exploring the town, visiting friends and attending church (she truly loved San Diego!) She also loved to go out walking (she did it a lot) and continuing to cook her own meals by choice. In addition to her sincere joy for a great meal, she would not hesitate when chocolates or ice cream were also available.
When she was still in her home at the Lion's Building, Otto successfully convinced her to sign up for a new program called PACE (a Federal Organization that helps seniors stay in their home rather than be placed into a senior care facility until necessary.) They took over her health care and as a result when she was diagnosed they stepped up and placed her at Activecare which changed their name to Elmcroft several years later. They then partnered with Father Joe, a Catholic system that helps many people in the downtown San Diego area. They paid for everything that Marian's Social Security didn't and she was cared for in an amazing way that her own limited funds would never have afforded her. She was greatly blessed.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela (Edna Mae) of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 granddaughters, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos (Las Cruces, NM), Esperanza "Hope" Roberts (Fairacres, NM), and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano (Anaheim, CA); and a brother, Ralph Barela (El Paso, TX).
Graveside service with Pastor Clifford Lem and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church, will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA. The church plans to have a formal Memorial Service sometime in July on a Saturday after the worship service for family and friends. Those who wish to attend the service can call Georgina at La Mesa Adventist Community Church, (619)461-5703. Notes/flowers may also be left online (for free) at www.FindAGrave.com, memorial number 132348719.
(Written by me, LC-NW, on Wed., July 9, 2014)
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for several decades and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. Not long after she was born her father moved the family to Chihuahua, Mexico where they lived until 1917 when their father moved them back to the United States during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos, Esperanza "Hope" Roberts, and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano; and a brother, Ralph Barela.
Graveside service will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extended Legacy.com obituary (also written by me, LC-NW, and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church in San Diego, via the email she sent to my Mom, Marian's daughter, after Marian passed away):
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father at 5 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for over 40 years and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church. For the last five years of her life she resided at Elmcroft of Point Loma, an Alzheimer's and dementia care facility, where she passed away peacefully.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. In 1917 her father moved the family from Chihuahua, Mexico to El Paso, Texas in an effort to flee to safety during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Marian had a most wonderful and rich singing voice and was an amazing cook (her tamales and empanadas were those a person would never forget!) In her younger years she was a very talented beautician and, in addition to owning her own salon for a time, she also worked for others, including the Golden Door Spa in San Diego. While working there the staff were reportedly not supposed to chat with the guests if they were celebrities, however on one occasion one of the guests (the comedian actor, Jonathan Winters) inadvertently got Marian into trouble for laughing too much at his jokes while she was working on him. In her later years at the Alzheimer's care facility where she resided, the staff commented from time to time that, even in her old age, Marian had the most beautiful skin they had ever seen.
In January 1938 in Las Cruces, New Mexico she married her first husband, Lawrence Aguilar. From that brief marriage was born Marian's only child, Felicia. Marian then married Wilson Trent "Bill" Harris - three separate times (most people might admit that they were both a bit feisty.) Bill passed away in 1957. Between one of the marriages to Bill, Marian had a brief marriage to Doyle McAdoo. Her final marriage was to Otto Stern in May of 1980, who unfortunately passed away just four years later in September 1984.
Otto was a most loving, caring and helpful husband to Marian. He was so concerned for her future care (she was 10 years older than he), that he wasted no time in getting her ready for her elder years. He submitted all the paperwork needed to ensure she had a secured spot at Lion's Manor, a senior living high rise home in downtown at 310 Market Street which allowed her to live, for the most part, quite independently. She was very active with her independence, frequently riding the street car here and there, exploring the town, visiting friends and attending church (she truly loved San Diego!) She also loved to go out walking (she did it a lot) and continuing to cook her own meals by choice. In addition to her sincere joy for a great meal, she would not hesitate when chocolates or ice cream were also available.
When she was still in her home at the Lion's Building, Otto successfully convinced her to sign up for a new program called PACE (a Federal Organization that helps seniors stay in their home rather than be placed into a senior care facility until necessary.) They took over her health care and as a result when she was diagnosed they stepped up and placed her at Activecare which changed their name to Elmcroft several years later. They then partnered with Father Joe, a Catholic system that helps many people in the downtown San Diego area. They paid for everything that Marian's Social Security didn't and she was cared for in an amazing way that her own limited funds would never have afforded her. She was greatly blessed.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela (Edna Mae) of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 granddaughters, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos (Las Cruces, NM), Esperanza "Hope" Roberts (Fairacres, NM), and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano (Anaheim, CA); and a brother, Ralph Barela (El Paso, TX).
Graveside service with Pastor Clifford Lem and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church, will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA. The church plans to have a formal Memorial Service sometime in July on a Saturday after the worship service for family and friends. Those who wish to attend the service can call Georgina at La Mesa Adventist Community Church, (619)461-5703. Notes/flowers may also be left online (for free) at www.FindAGrave.com, memorial number 132348719.
(Written by me, LC-NW, on Wed., July 9, 2014)
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Wed., July 9, 2014 (written by me, LC-NW.)
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for several decades and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. Not long after she was born her father moved the family to Chihuahua, Mexico where they lived until 1917 when their father moved them back to the United States during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos, Esperanza "Hope" Roberts, and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano; and a brother, Ralph Barela.
Graveside service will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extended Legacy.com obituary (also written by me, LC-NW, and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church in San Diego, via the email she sent to my Mom, Marian's daughter, after Marian passed away):
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father at 5 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for over 40 years and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church. For the last five years of her life she resided at Elmcroft of Point Loma, an Alzheimer's and dementia care facility, where she passed away peacefully.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. In 1917 her father moved the family from Chihuahua, Mexico to El Paso, Texas in an effort to flee to safety during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Marian had a most wonderful and rich singing voice and was an amazing cook (her tamales and empanadas were those a person would never forget!) In her younger years she was a very talented beautician and, in addition to owning her own salon for a time, she also worked for others, including the Golden Door Spa in San Diego. While working there the staff were reportedly not supposed to chat with the guests if they were celebrities, however on one occasion one of the guests (the comedian actor, Jonathan Winters) inadvertently got Marian into trouble for laughing too much at his jokes while she was working on him. In her later years at the Alzheimer's care facility where she resided, the staff commented from time to time that, even in her old age, Marian had the most beautiful skin they had ever seen.
In January 1938 in Las Cruces, New Mexico she married her first husband, Lawrence Aguilar. From that brief marriage was born Marian's only child, Felicia. Marian then married Wilson Trent "Bill" Harris - three separate times (most people might admit that they were both a bit feisty.) Bill passed away in 1957. Between one of the marriages to Bill, Marian had a brief marriage to Doyle McAdoo. Her final marriage was to Otto Stern in May of 1980, who unfortunately passed away just four years later in September 1984.
Otto was a most loving, caring and helpful husband to Marian. He was so concerned for her future care (she was 10 years older than he), that he wasted no time in getting her ready for her elder years. He submitted all the paperwork needed to ensure she had a secured spot at Lion's Manor, a senior living high rise home in downtown at 310 Market Street which allowed her to live, for the most part, quite independently. She was very active with her independence, frequently riding the street car here and there, exploring the town, visiting friends and attending church (she truly loved San Diego!) She also loved to go out walking (she did it a lot) and continuing to cook her own meals by choice. In addition to her sincere joy for a great meal, she would not hesitate when chocolates or ice cream were also available.
When she was still in her home at the Lion's Building, Otto successfully convinced her to sign up for a new program called PACE (a Federal Organization that helps seniors stay in their home rather than be placed into a senior care facility until necessary.) They took over her health care and as a result when she was diagnosed they stepped up and placed her at Activecare which changed their name to Elmcroft several years later. They then partnered with Father Joe, a Catholic system that helps many people in the downtown San Diego area. They paid for everything that Marian's Social Security didn't and she was cared for in an amazing way that her own limited funds would never have afforded her. She was greatly blessed.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela (Edna Mae) of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 granddaughters, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos (Las Cruces, NM), Esperanza "Hope" Roberts (Fairacres, NM), and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano (Anaheim, CA); and a brother, Ralph Barela (El Paso, TX).
Graveside service with Pastor Clifford Lem and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church, will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA. The church plans to have a formal Memorial Service sometime in July on a Saturday after the worship service for family and friends. Those who wish to attend the service can call Georgina at La Mesa Adventist Community Church, (619)461-5703. Notes/flowers may also be left online (for free) at www.FindAGrave.com, memorial number 132348719.
(Written by me, LC-NW, on Wed., July 9, 2014)
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for several decades and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. Not long after she was born her father moved the family to Chihuahua, Mexico where they lived until 1917 when their father moved them back to the United States during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos, Esperanza "Hope" Roberts, and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano; and a brother, Ralph Barela.
Graveside service will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extended Legacy.com obituary (also written by me, LC-NW, and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church in San Diego, via the email she sent to my Mom, Marian's daughter, after Marian passed away):
MARIAN (HARRIS) STERN, 98 years old of San Diego, CA, departed this life to be with her heavenly Father at 5 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, June 28, 2014, after many years of battling Alzheimer's. She had been a resident of San Diego for over 40 years and was a member of La Mesa Seventh Day Adventist Church. For the last five years of her life she resided at Elmcroft of Point Loma, an Alzheimer's and dementia care facility, where she passed away peacefully.
Marian was born in the spring of 1916 to Reynaldo and Josefina (Zamora) Ronquillo. In 1917 her father moved the family from Chihuahua, Mexico to El Paso, Texas in an effort to flee to safety during the Pancho Villa revolution. In 1920 her widowed mother moved the family from El Paso, TX to Las Cruces, NM.
Marian had a most wonderful and rich singing voice and was an amazing cook (her tamales and empanadas were those a person would never forget!) In her younger years she was a very talented beautician and, in addition to owning her own salon for a time, she also worked for others, including the Golden Door Spa in San Diego. While working there the staff were reportedly not supposed to chat with the guests if they were celebrities, however on one occasion one of the guests (the comedian actor, Jonathan Winters) inadvertently got Marian into trouble for laughing too much at his jokes while she was working on him. In her later years at the Alzheimer's care facility where she resided, the staff commented from time to time that, even in her old age, Marian had the most beautiful skin they had ever seen.
In January 1938 in Las Cruces, New Mexico she married her first husband, Lawrence Aguilar. From that brief marriage was born Marian's only child, Felicia. Marian then married Wilson Trent "Bill" Harris - three separate times (most people might admit that they were both a bit feisty.) Bill passed away in 1957. Between one of the marriages to Bill, Marian had a brief marriage to Doyle McAdoo. Her final marriage was to Otto Stern in May of 1980, who unfortunately passed away just four years later in September 1984.
Otto was a most loving, caring and helpful husband to Marian. He was so concerned for her future care (she was 10 years older than he), that he wasted no time in getting her ready for her elder years. He submitted all the paperwork needed to ensure she had a secured spot at Lion's Manor, a senior living high rise home in downtown at 310 Market Street which allowed her to live, for the most part, quite independently. She was very active with her independence, frequently riding the street car here and there, exploring the town, visiting friends and attending church (she truly loved San Diego!) She also loved to go out walking (she did it a lot) and continuing to cook her own meals by choice. In addition to her sincere joy for a great meal, she would not hesitate when chocolates or ice cream were also available.
When she was still in her home at the Lion's Building, Otto successfully convinced her to sign up for a new program called PACE (a Federal Organization that helps seniors stay in their home rather than be placed into a senior care facility until necessary.) They took over her health care and as a result when she was diagnosed they stepped up and placed her at Activecare which changed their name to Elmcroft several years later. They then partnered with Father Joe, a Catholic system that helps many people in the downtown San Diego area. They paid for everything that Marian's Social Security didn't and she was cared for in an amazing way that her own limited funds would never have afforded her. She was greatly blessed.
Survivors include her only child, Felicia Yates (James) of Moses Lake, WA; her sister, Maria "Mary" Marquez (widow of J.S. "Chavalo") of Los Angeles, CA; and a brother, Johnny Barela (Edna Mae) of Las Cruces, NM. Other survivors include 4 granddaughters, 4 great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Besides her husbands, Marian was also preceded in death by her sisters: Guadalupe "Lupe" Archuleta-Avalos (Las Cruces, NM), Esperanza "Hope" Roberts (Fairacres, NM), and Ana Elena "Annie" Cano (Anaheim, CA); and a brother, Ralph Barela (El Paso, TX).
Graveside service with Pastor Clifford Lem and Loralee Prodanovich, Director of Volunteer Ministry of La Mesa Adventist Community Church, will be on Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA. The church plans to have a formal Memorial Service sometime in July on a Saturday after the worship service for family and friends. Those who wish to attend the service can call Georgina at La Mesa Adventist Community Church, (619)461-5703. Notes/flowers may also be left online (for free) at www.FindAGrave.com, memorial number 132348719.
(Written by me, LC-NW, on Wed., July 9, 2014)
