Bernice Doodle Irma Soria

Bernice Irma Soria was born in Lost Corners, Arkansas on September 18, 1921. She was the daughter of James & Ida Mae Shields. She was the second child out of six. The Shields moved from Arkansas to California in the early 1930’s.

Bernice met her future husband, Harold Soria, in Merced in 1940, and they wed on February 9, 1941 in Los Angeles. Bernice gave birth to their first child, Robert, on February 23, 1943 in Monterey. The family then moved to Santa Barbara in 1944, and shortly thereafter they were blessed with a daughter, Patricia, on August 18, 1944. Bernice and Harold’s family became complete with the birth of their third child, Harold, on September 13, 1948. They relocated to Sunnyvale in 1956, where Bernice and her family lived happily for 55 years.

Bernice was a life-long Dodger fan, although recently she was starting to like the Giants too. She was also the Bugbuster Softball Team’s number one fan! Bernice never had a driver’s license, but if it was within walking distance or there was a bus stop nearby, she found a way to get there.

Her favorite pastimes were solving crossword puzzles and taking care of her pigeons, parakeets, and her beloved dog Missy. She had a love for animals and was known to take in sick or injured birds and nurse them back to health.

Bernice loved her family more than anything in the world, and it showed in everything that she did. She is survived by her brother Archie, sister Joyce, brother Glenn (wife Jessie), son Robert (wife Cindy), daughter Patricia (husband Tony Sr.), and son Harold (wife Linda). She was the cherished grandmother of 12 – Chris, Carrie, Tony Jr. (wife Tricia), Ian, Joseph (wife Kenia), Mindy (husband Peter), Stacy (husband Steve), Rhiannon, Brian, Shay, Jaime, and Amy (husband Josh). She was the beloved great-grandmother of 8 – Justin, Joey, Jacob, Jesse, Alyssa, Chad, Mira, Lily, and one on the way.