Class Notes

Let us know what you are up to! We love to have information for the Class Notes section of The Oaks. Submit your updates and photos online through the Mercy website at www.mercyhsb.com/alumnae/submit-news. If you prefer to email us, you can send your news to alumnae@mercyhsb.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

1950 Marian Sullivan Monks ‘50 graduated from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude . She is now retired and lives in Sun City West, Arizona. Prior to her retirement, she explored professions in both the education and legal realm, including being a teacher, a paralegal and lastly, worked in travel as a Group Travel Consultant.

Shirley Sampson Latimier ‘50 writes from Eugene, OR where she and her husband live. After leaving the Bay Area, they moved to Northshore, Lake Tahoe where she taught first grade for 21 years and raised three children with hubby “Wally”! In retirement, they try to stay active and busy, and love time spent with her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. A favorite past time is doll collecting and looking for old dolls which she lovingly repairs and brings back to live another century. She looks forward to seeing the news from Mercy and can’t believe how “Mercy has grown so big and fabulous”!

1956 All sent in by Mary Lou... Mary Lou Woodman Whitcomb ‘56 and her husband, Ken took a cross country road trip last Fall, visiting their grandson at Oberlin College, then traveling to upstate New York where Mary Lou fulfilled a lifetime desire to ride on the Erie Canal. They continued through NH, VT, ME, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before driving home. It was a trip of a lifetime! They continue to enjoy their lives at home in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Regina Burke’56 is now a Lay Carmelite, 3rd Order Carmelite after retiring from her position as a Clinical Lab Scientist at a hospital in the San Joaquin Valley. She and her sisters Anne and Joan enjoyed a wonderful adventure together in Africa last year.

Cecilia Kollock Wolary ‘56 at home in El Dorado, CA. is under Hospice Care

Marsha Stanford Aliamus ‘56 recently passed away, may she rest in peace. There was a gettogether lunch at Nan McAlister’s house in early March. From left to right: Ann Williams Regan, Judy Rees Cunningham, Nan Siracusa McAlister, Fran Cummings Kathy O’Mary, Darleen Tealdi Peterman, and Maureen

Rubis Leimbach all proud members of the Class of 59.

1960 Patricia Conway Putkey ‘60 and her classmates gathered together for their annual luncheon in Burlingame: Mary Conway Zodrow, Susan Torriglia Monahan, Patricia Conway Putkey, Margaret Mackesy

1959 Booker (photo)

1961 Proud grandmother, Lourlene Studdert Klinger ‘61 and husband Michael wrote “Congratulations to the Class of 2020”, and especially to their granddaughters Jacqueline and Haylee Klingler ‘20 . This is the Third Generation of Mercy girls, as their mom, Lori Smiley Klingler ‘89 also walked the halls of Mercy! Lourlene writes, “There are two more Klingler girls to come, Sierra will be an incoming Freshman and Liliana in four more years.” Left to right....Lori Smiley Klingler ‘89, Haylee Klingler ‘20, Jacqueline Klingler ‘20, Lourlene Studdert Klingler ‘61.

1961 In the fall of 2019 Denise McNamara Stein ‘61 hosted a few Mercy Alums from the class of 1961 including Edwina Scheid Smith, Judy O’Connell La Grande, and Mary Ann Hagerty Hennessey who shared many memories from their years at Mercy. They all have held careers in Education and now they all have many wonderful grandchildren to give them joy, hope and LOVE.

1962 Sr. Joan F. Burke, SNDdeN, ’62 is returning to the States in May after serving with her congregation out of the country for fifty years, including stints in Italy, the UK (D.Phil., Oxford), Belgium, France. Most of the years she was involved in education and retreat work in several countries in Africa (DR Congo, Nigeria, Kenya). She also was responsible for setting up the NGO Office of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at the United Nations HQ in New York (2002-11). Sister hopes to find a ministry in the States doing justice advocacy work.

1963 Sr Janet Ruffing, RSM, PhD ‘63 is retiring as Professor Emerita in the Practice of Spirituality and Ministerial Leadership from Yale Divinity School in June after ten and a half years of graduate teaching there and returning to the Burlingame Campus. She taught English and Religion at Mercy from 1968-1971, and 1974-1977. She was the first person to teach Spirituality at Yale.

1966 Marie Henry ‘66, just won an honorable mention in the International Lawrence Durrell Society’s 2019 White Mice Poetry Contest. She has been invited to read at their annual conference in May in Toulouse, France. You can read her poem “Filling in the Spaces” on their website: lawrencedurrell.org (under Contests, 2019 winners). Also found on YouTube: Marie Henry - Marin Poets Live. 1966 Patricia Ercoli Matthews ‘66 was honored with a Special Recognition Award for her 18 years of service by Mission Hospice as a volunteer. She speaks with patients in Italian and French, and is pictured here with her 100 year old patient.

1974 Loryanne Baciocco Rehne ‘74 retired from teaching but returned in Oct. 2019 for a criticalneeds position teaching Pre-K at her old school. She ended up learning online teaching quickly, including Zoom, Remind, Class Dojo, and NearPod. It has been a unique way to teach 4/5 year olds, but misses hugs from the kids the most. She is retiring again to spend time with her husband Jeff and “their doodles,” Molly and Maggie.

1975 Judy Gumba Keating ‘75, lives in Reno and is looking forward to celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary with husband John on August 3, 2020! Their son Casey Keating, M.D. is the Director of Interventional Pain Service, Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine at Renown Medical Center, Physiatry Department. Their younger son, Nicholas has been in the US Air Force for 11 years and has two children, Tyson, 5 and Sonya, 2, with his wife.

1977 It was a day surrounded by family and friends and filled with much joy and happiness when Caroline Connolly Bottoms ‘77 and her husband Keith gave away their daughter Lauren Bottoms ‘05 in marriage and welcomed new son-in-law, Andrew Stiffler to the family! Brother and Man of Honor was Bradley Bottoms, Serra ‘10. The Kohl Mansion was tastefully decorated and guests enjoyed the beautiful ceremony and reception.

1978 Mikie Sweeney Giusti ‘78 writes “My Mercy family started in 1978.....we are a strong group of women and it is gratifying to know what is happening with all of the Alumni, teachers and families.”

1979 On October 12th, 2019, Michelle Byrne Kozlowski’s ‘79 youngest daughter Sofia was married to Connor Dreusicke. She was the 4th generation to be married at Our Lady of Angels Church. The reception was held at Kohl Mansion. Many Mercy girls were in attendance, including Sofia’s aunts and her Grandmother Maureen McCue Byrne ‘56!

1981 & 1982 Flying the “Friendly Skies” has been a bit lonely due to COVID-19 reports Kimberly Sanchez ‘82 and Martha Laur ‘81, who fly together at American Airlines.

Peggy Patterson ‘82 entered the Monastery of St. Clare in Boston in February. She thanks the Mercy girls who were instrumental in helping her to discern God’s call: Janice Armento Scherba ‘76, Angie Simonetti, Sandy Flaherty, Mary Louise Castillo, Sr. Jean Evans, RSM, and Helen Boyer Garcia ‘82. She thanks many other Mercy girls for their kindness through the years, “I love all my Mercy sisters and will keep you forever in my prayers.”

Peggy Patterson ‘82 and Helen Boyer ‘82 in Boston before Peggy entered the monastery

1984 With sadness, we share the news of the passing of Mercy Burlingame alumna, Karen (Pors) Marinelli, class of 1957, in October 2019. Mother of Michelle Marinelli-Benson ‘ 84. Sister of Bonnie (Pors) Bertetta ‘55 and Linda (Pors) DeVille ‘60 . Photo of the Pors sisters on the “senior stairs!” L to R: Bonnie Pors Bertetta (55); Karen Pors Marinelli (‘57); Linda Pors DeVille (‘60).

1985 Andria Brugioni ‘ 85 started Level, a children’s shoe line, just months before COVID-19 pandemic struck. T hey create playful, modern shoes for kids with the mission of equality www.thebrandlevel.com.

Geni Quartaroli ‘85 has been in the Fitness and Wellness industry for the past 30 years. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and owns Opt Well, a Breathing and Movement business that offers education on wellness options. Her furry companion Cornelius is a terrier on wheels, and is a source of inspiration. During COVID-19, she developed a program called One Breath at a Time with the mission of encouraging communities to breathe together to empower wellness within ourselves and each other. More at: www.optwell.us.

1988 Phaidra Pavia Garcia ‘88 was proud to be a Mercy alum as she pinned her daughter Caitlin Garcia, Class of 2020 at the virtual Senior Pinning Ceremony.

1990 Lisa Kling ‘90 and her Class of 1990 classmates held a virtual reunion during the pandemic. They joined from near and far: Ireland, Washington, Maine, California, and Arizona.

1992 Jackie Birkeland Rodriguez ‘92 enjoyed being able to pin her daughter Riley Rodriguez ‘20 at this year’s virtual Senior Pinning.

1996 Christina Beck Drogin ‘96, Elizabeth GaleaPhilpott ‘96, Cristina Bellafronte DelGrosso ‘96, and Patricia Ivancich Dassios ‘97 Celebrated their 24th annual Christmas gathering with their husbands and combined 13 children. Mercy friendships last forever!

1999 Patrice Scanlan Heath ‘99 and her husband Matthew welcomed their second child on 2/19/20. They are now the proud parents of Hollie Rose (22 months) and Hank Martin (2 months), and are enjoying family time at their home in San Rafael, CA.

2000 Kristina Kronenberger ‘00 is sheltering in plac e in her home in Oakland, CA. They were fortunate enough to get to Italy this winter and had a blast making (and eating) their way through R ome, Siena and Florence. “Wish all the Mercy Girls the very best!”, she says. 2004 After graduating from California State University, East Bay in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Christine Giusti McNeil ‘04 began working in accounting. On March 14, 2020, Christine and Kyle McNeil were married at Kohl Mansion in a beautiful, intimate ceremony and reception. Christine’s sister, Candice Giusti ’05, was the maid of honor.

2005 Lauren Bottoms ‘05 and Andrew Stiffler were married October 26, 2019 at Kohl Mansion. Lauren is a Social Science teacher at Valley High School in Elk Grove and Andrew is an Information Technology Consultant at Sacramento State. Their wedding party included Man of Honor Bradley Bottoms, Serra ‘10, and bridesmaid Madeline Williams ‘09. Lauren, a Giants fan, wanted Lou Seal to be part of the reception! It was a day filled with laughter and love.

2006 Molly Klase Vasquez ‘06 graduated from the University of the Pacific in August 2019 with her Master’s Degree in SpeechLanguage Pathology. During the program, she provided services to patients of all ages in the university clinic, school and hospital setting. Since graduating, Molly has been working in elementary and middle schools in the Bay Area serving students with a variety of communication needs.

2008 Eva Martinez Molina ‘08 graduated from UC Irvine School of Medicine May 30th 2020. She recently married husband Alfonso Molina, a bay area native and medical student at UCLA, in December 2019. They are returning to the Bay Area to start residency at Stanford Health. Eva will be a Pediatrician and her husband will be an Internal Medicine Physician at Stanford. Eva is excited to give back to the community she was raised in and even more excited to be close to her loved ones.

Amanda Thomas ‘12 & Katherine O’Toole ‘13 at their school’s drive by parade

2013 After graduating with a BA in Child Development from SJSU, Katherine O’Toole ‘13 began working at Mount Carmel in Redwood City as the Transitional Kindergarten Aide, under the lead teacher, Amanda Thomas ‘12! “It has been such a joy learning from a fellow Mercy teacher and watching our students grow. We’ve been navigating distance learning and look forward to being back with our students!” 2013 Morgan Sanders ‘13 has completed the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, NY. As of May 2020, she is officially Dr. Morgan Sanders, PharmD. She is very excited to begin this next chapter in her life.

2014 After graduation Melissa Bordi ‘14 attended California State University, Chico where she received her B.S. in Agriculture Science with a pathway in Crops and Horticulture. She received a Pest Control Advisor License and is now the Assistant Vineyard Manager of Trinchero Family Estates Winery. She hopes that future Mercy grads will see Agriculture as a viable career path!

2015 Alexandra Novoa ‘15 went to University of Arizona (Honors College) and utilized their SALT (Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques) program. She graduated last May with a BS in Management Information Systems from Eller College of Management. She is now a technology consultant at Cognizant and resides in Dallas. She was hired as the only female in a cohort of over 30, and encourages Mercy grads to pursue STEM.