Mary Jane Falchini

In 1943, at the age of 21, she enlisted in the Womens’ Auxiliary Corp of the U.S. Army. She served in Germany for 3 years and was honorably discharged in 1946.

After leaving the Army, she enrolled in the Los Angeles Police Academy and graduated in 1947 as a member of the first graduating class of uniformed female police officers.

In 1952 she met Orvis Falchini, and they were married on September 14 of that year. Their love was one to be admired, and never has there been a finer example of someone who married their best friend.

In May 1953, she gave birth to her first child, Theresa, on Mother’s Day. In 1954, upon learning she would give birth to her second child, Debra, in November, she chose to retire from the Los Angeles Police Department. In 1959 she gave birth to her third child, Steven.

During her years raising her children, she was the consummate Kool-Aid mom; every kid in the neighborhood hung out at her house. She was a troop leader for many years for her daughters’ brownie troops. In 1971, she and her husband opened their first accounting and tax office outside their home—or as they would say, they “moved onto the Boulevard.”

She and her husband worked side by side until she lost the love of her life in December 1983. She remained an active employee at the family business working with her three children until the age of 90.

She spent the last year of her life at home with her family and two loving caregivers. They made her final days as comfortable as possible. She passed away peacefully on the evening of May 23, 2014, in her home, exactly as she wished.

She is survived by her three children, Theresa, Debra and Steven, three grandchildren, Genevieve, Melissa and Thomas, and three great-grandchildren, Gianna, Ethan and Evan.

Arrangements under the direction of Valley Funeral Home, Burbank, CA.