Mary Van Diepen

Our dear mother and friend passed away peacefully on June 2, 2023, having lived a long and full life. Originally from Holland, she was a proud and patriotic citizen of the United States of America. She was also an amazing gardener and homemaker in her beloved home in the redwood forest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

A devoted mother of nine wonderful children, many grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren, she also found time to be a steadfast friend to many as well as an avid Rummi-Kub player. Sharing her generous and creative hospitality with whoever might come to her door was a personal trademark that was treasured by all. Having been blessed with an abundance of energy, she accomplished much but was especially pleased in later life with her system of planning her day according to the "3 things" rule. That meant doing those selected three things first, and then having the rest of the day free to do whatever she wanted. It worked well for her!

Mary and her husband Jack (d. October 13, 2001) raised their family in the Catholic faith tradition. St. John's Catholic Church in Felton was the family's faith home for the past 62 years; it was a rich source of consolation, grace, and many blessings in this last phase of Mary's life. Fr. Roy Margallo was a towering source of strength to the family. She would wish each of her beloved family and dear friends to know that they were in her thoughts and prayers to the end.

Since Mary's generosity was always spontaneous and personal, the family invites all who loved her to bring a little bouquet of flowers from their own gardens to adorn the altar at the funeral mass. Each one will be treasured by us during the mass and will bring a memory of love home again with you.

The funeral mass will be celebrated at St. John's Catholic Church in Felton, CA on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 11:30am, with the reception immediately following in the parish hall. A rosary for her will be recited at the same location at 5:15pm on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Published in Press Banner · June 6, 2023