Mary Jean Eddleman

Mary Jean was born on December 7, 1952 at St. John's Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa. She was the daughter of Gene and Arlene Brown. She was raised in San Diego, California. Mary enjoyed meeting new people and could easily connect and make new friends. She did not have to surround herself with people to be content. She was the type of person who enjoyed being alone rather than be part of a large crowd. She could be content for hours in some activity or be lost in one of her favorite books. Always conscientious and focused on details, Mary Jean was a person who loved to imagine the possibilities of life

Mary Jean had good listening skills which she would use to her advantage when it came to family life. She grew up with four younger siblings. Cindy, Kathy, Gene Jr. and Russell. She rarely shied away from family discussions. She would debate with her siblings but if it turned into an argument, Mary Jean delighted in the lively debate but would always leave with hugs and kisses. In general, the family got along well and shared many memorable experiences.

In grade school, Mary gravitated toward others who shared similar interests and enjoyed academics more than physical activity. She was always curious about what made things work, and she would excel at the things that called for more deeper thought.. She was a Girl Scout and she delighted in the projects that required planning, exploration and solution. As was evident by those who knew her, her most fun was in connecting with her new found friends.

During high school, Mary excelled at the challenge of learning and was especially good at taking tests and exams. She could delight more in problem solving than in the more routine school work. As long as the intellectual challenges kept coming, Mary was happy. She graduated from Mar Vista High School in 1971. Her favorite class in high school was Drama. Although Mary Jean had a small group of friends, they were a close knit group and she enjoyed spending time with them. She liked to be able to engage them in discussions on the many topics she found interesting. Those who knew her well might describe Mary Jean as a good listener who could bring out a type of understanding from those around her that even surprised them. She was passionate in her commitments and would never intentionally hurt anyone. While growing up, one of her best friends was Linda Gibson.

Mary finally found connection and fulfillment when on November 27, 1982; she exchanged wedding vows with Erwin E. Eddleman at St. Pius X Catholic Church of Chula Vista, California. Erwin was influential in Mary's life and brought a dimension of emotion and feelings to a woman who mostly lived in her intellect. Mary grew, blossomed and became more balanced because of their love and compassion.

Mary Jean was a hard worker and a good provider who loved taking good care of her family. Mary was blessed with three children, two daughters, Abigail and Loretta and one son, Alton. They were also blessed with one granddaughter, Willa Jean. Mary's sense of fun was often unleashed in her puns and witty quips. It delighted her when her children would banter back and forth with her in this exchange of mind contests. The children always knew how much Mary loved them.

Finding the right type of job can be a challenge for anyone, but that was especially true for Mary Jean Eddleman. She needed to find a career that would challenge her. Fortunately, she found a career path where she could use her natural intellect and her natural critical thinking skills. Her primary occupation was being a Book Keeper. She did volunteer work in her teens for the San Diego chapter of the Arthritis Foundation for over five years. During her time there she honed her skills keeping the foundations books and represented the San Diego chapter as a poster child and then hired as a full time employee. Mary was employed for 25 years in the family business G. E. Brown Service, Inc. She was dedicated in helping the business grow and valued for her accounting skills. Mary's strong sense of faith helped her remain focused on the needs and concerns of others. These values brought her strength and helped to reinforce the importance of both her faith and the practice of her religion. She was a member of St. Charles Catholic Church for 57 years.

Hobbies were more than fun for Mary Jean because she challenged herself to learn the theory behind the actual activity. Knowing how things worked was more incentive than just performing and completing the task. Her favorite pursuits were collecting Cabbage Patch dolls, Beanie Babies and elephant figurines.

Mary found great pleasure by working in her garden and attending to her beloved roses. Friends and neighbors would often seek out her advice with help in their own gardens. She also enjoyed just listening to her music especially Andrea Bocelli’s The Lord’s Prayer, and top on her list was watching football, her San Diego Chargers.

Mary especially enjoyed time with her pets, she was an avid animal lover. She could spend hours in private thought, and her faithful companions would just sit by her side or in her lap. Some of Mary's favorite pets; two cocker spaniels, Samantha and Scarlet who were her best friends for over 12 years. In addition, her pet family was rounded out by her Retriever mix, Sylvester, Beagle; Toby, Bijon Frise; Pierre, Siberian Husky; Shane, Golden Retrieve; Hunter, and a mini Australian Sheppard; Kylie. During her spare time, she was the one to volunteer to take care of the school pets during summer break.

Mary was not a woman who did things because she expected a reward in return. In fact, accepting recognition from others was sometimes difficult for her. People who served with Mary recognized her quiet strength and her practical, logical, and discerning abilities. Still, she was awarded numerous honors throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included being presented with the key to the city by the Mayor of San Diego for her volunteer work with the San Diego Arthritis Foundation.

Travel was a luxury for Mary and something that she took great pleasure in doing. Mary was at her best in the planning stages, as she did research and learned all about the places that she would be visiting. She wasn't as fond of dealing with the actual organizing, but once she put together all of the information, she was more than happy to turn it all over to someone else and let them put together the itinerary. Favorite vacations included camping at Pio Pico, mini road trips in her motor home, and traveling to Tennessee, and San Francisco.

Mary Jean Eddleman passed away on May 17, 2015 at Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California. Mary Jean fought a brave battle against cancer for nearly 3 years. She is survived by her husband, Erwin, her children, Abigail, Loretta and Alton, her parents, Arlene and Gene, siblings, Cindy Gray, Kathy Sanchez, and Russell Brown. Predeceased by her brother, Gene E. Brown, Jr. Her legacy includes her infant granddaughter, Willa Jean Hughes. A Celebration of Life and Visitation will be held at Funeraria Del Angel Humphrey on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. located at 753 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910. A Vigil Prayer Service will be celebrated by Deacon Dave at 7:00 p.m. that evening. On Wednesday, May 27th, a funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Charles Catholic Church at 12:00 p.m. and immediately after, a funeral procession to Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego.