Mary Jane Boyko

As anyone who knew Mary Jane can attest, she was a fearless, strong-willed, passionate, lover of life, who most definitely did it “Her Way”.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio on February 25, 1923 to Italian immigrants, Joseph and Jennie Sciortino, she met and married her high school sweetheart Walter Boyko in 1942. During WWII she and Wally, a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps, moved to Biloxi, Mississippi. After the war, they returned to Youngstown where sons Wally Eugene, Rick and Ken were born. In 1954 Mary Jane and Wally loaded their young family into a station wagon and drove across country to begin a life in Fontana, California, where son Ted was born. In Fontana, Mary Jane raised her family while heavily involved in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church choir and many community functions. After over 15 years in Fontana, they moved to Anaheim, California where Mary Jane began a 20 year career serving as Librarian Assistant at Valencia High School in Placentia, California. In 1979 at the age of 59, Wally died of pneumonia leaving Mary Jane far too early. After retiring from Valencia High School in 1987, Mary Jane remained a central and constant influence in all of her sons families and was blessed to live close to two of her sons Ken and Ted and their wives Laurie and Sue, where she spent every weekend at one of their homes entertaining all present playing piano and singing. Besides being a wonderful piano player, Mary Jane was an excellent cook who happily taught all of her daughters-in-law and grandchildren her family recipes. “Family” was the key ingredient that Mary Jane made sure was used liberally, saying she was most proud of her four boys. For that reason she will be greatly missed by her surviving family, brothers Vince & Carmen, sisters Rita & Vivian, sons Wally, Rick, Ken and Ted as well as 12 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

A vigil prayer service will be held at Pacific View Memorial Park 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, CA, 92625 on Thursday evening, November 10th, beginning at 5:30pm, with a rosary at 7:30pm. Memorial Mass will begin promptly at 11am on Friday the 11th, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church located at 1441 West Balboa Blvd. Newport Beach, CA, 92661. Burial service, is at 11am on Saturday at Green Acres Memorial Cemetery, 11715 Cedar Avenue, Bloomington, CA 92316. In lieu of flowers the family would like to ask that donations be made in her name at the Adult Ahmanson Congenital Heart Disease Center at UCLA.

Arrangements under the direction of Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary FD1176, Corona Del Mar, CA.