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- [S927] Obituary.
Mary Nora Magness, cherished great-grandmother (GG) of 10, grandmother of five and mother of four, passed on peacefully Thursday, May 7, 2015 in Grass Valley, California. She was 91.
A family graveside service will be held on Friday, Aug. 14, 2015, at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, California. A celebration of life gathering will follow.
Born on March 10, 1924, in Waukegan, Ill., Mary Nora was the second of seven children of Joseph Peter and Nora (Miller) Brosky. As a girl, she and her sisters helped care for the busy household.
While working at a calendar printers as a teen, she was nicknamed "Boots" for the white rainboots she frequently wore. She would thereafter be known to her family as "Boots," to her nieces and nephews she was always "Auntie Boots."
In the early years of World War II, she caught the eye of a young man in the factory where they both worked. He caught her eye, too, and on Oct. 16, 1943, she and William (Bill) Magness were married.
After the war, Mary and Bill and their young family were part of the exodus west where they settled in the San Fernando Valley.
Mary enjoyed being a housewife. She loved babies, and they responded in kind; even the fussiest would quiet in her embrace. She and Bill enjoyed family gatherings and camping trips. Eventually they would buy property at Lake Almanor, which became the site of many wonderful vacation memories for everyone.
In 1984, several years after Bill passed away, Mary moved to Grass Valley where her daughter Nancy lived with her family. Mary was active in crafts, especially ceramics, and won awards for her work. She liked bingo and senior bus trips to Boomtown and Reno. And she was a big fan of NASCAR, especially No. 24, Jeff Gordon.
Our family was blessed to have Mary with us for 91 wonderful years. Just as she treasured each one of us, each one of us treasured her.
Mary is survived by her children, Sandi (Tom) Jones of Bellevue, Washington, Bill (Denise) Magness of Auburn, Nancy Depew of Grass Valley, and Joe (Mary) Magness of Limerick, Maine; grandchildren, Julie Kenny, Jennie O'Brien, Matthew Magness, Dawn Hartog and Lisa DePew; great-grandchildren, Ryan, Matthew and Patrick Kenny, Connor and Katherine O'Brien, Cole, Jacob, Alan and Bella Magness, and Saya Hartog; siblings, Isabella Petersen Peck, Joe (and Jean) Brosky, Esther Padilla Quimby, Bonnie (and Curt) Jackson and Danny Brosky; brother-in-law Bernie (Marion) Magness; and sister-in-law Rosemarie Magness.
Mary was predeceased by her husband, Bill Magness (May 8, 1979); sister Beatrice Rajuniec Beauvais (July 27, 1999); and by her brothers-in-law, Harley Petersen (Jan. 21, 1974), Calvin Magness (Nov. 16, 2000) and Sam Padilla (April 12, 2015).
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1924 - 2015 (91 years)