Mary Jane Kopriva

Mary Jane Kopriva, born in Revelstoke, BC on September 11, 1931, started life in a cabin in the Canadian Rockies next to the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, for whom her father worked. She later lived in Vancouver, Glendale, Milwaukee, San Fernando Valley, Thousand Oaks, Sun City Center, and finally, Oceanside, CA. Thousand Oaks was her home for over forty years, where she worked at a once a week community newspaper in the 1960s and then for the school district until her retirement, raised her family, and volunteered at the hospital auxiliary.

She had three passions in her life: Her family, travel, and life-long friends.

She met the love of her life, John Kopriva ("Johnny" to her) at age nine when their mothers, acquainted from their village in Yugoslavia, visited in Milwaukee. She described him at that time as an annoying little boy. They met again at 17 under similar circumstances, but this time went on a date to a dirt auto racetrack, she wearing white not knowing how dusty it would be. At age 23 they married. Within three years they had two sons, David and Donald. Mary Jane and Johnny were married to just shy of their fiftieth anniversary, when he passed away.

Her second passion was to travel. She traveled the world, from the pyramids at Giza, to the Great Barrier Reef, the Parthenon, and the Eiffel Tower. She toured the great cities of the world, New York, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Lisbon, Athens, Tangier, Saint Petersburg and more, not to mention cities across the US and Canada. Johnny tagged along. In her last couple of years when travel became difficult, one could catch her watching Rick Steves to satisfy her travel bug.

Mary Jane's final passion was her commitment to lifelong friends. Those friends included not only members of her generation, met in grade school or as a young mother in the late 1950's, but extended to their children, and their children's children. The extended families of the Swans, the Rushtons, the Feffermans and the Lexaus, formed her circle, with whom she kept in close contact like family all these years.

Mary Jane passed away on July 18, 2025 at age 93 in Oceanside, California, still independent, a mother, and a friend. She was deeply loved and will be missed. A graveside service will be held for her at the Pierce Brothers - Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village on September 27, 2025 at 10 AM.