Sonia (Derech) Meagher

Up until the end Sonia maintained her kindness, grace, compassion, appreciation of beauty, love of family and friends, and expressed gratitude for her long life, full of wonderful and varied experiences.

Sonia's life can best be encapsulated by a few words: Family, Friends, and Food. In her 77 years here with us she experienced an abundance of each.

Sonia was born on April 4th, 1948, to Veronika (Kvass) and Michael Derech in Erlangen, Germany. They entered the United States on September 24th, 1949, through New York and ended up in Chicago in December of that same year. She had the life of an only child until her favorite sister, Lesia (Ihor) Havrilechko was born in 1954, and her brother Michael Derech was born in 1959. She attended Immaculata High School and then went to college at Mundelein where she met her husband James, who was attending nearby Loyola. They married on January 21st, 1967. Sonia and Jim maintained a loving and supportive marriage of almost 59 years. They were the best fishing and nickel casino partners to exist. Together they raised four children, Joe (Patty) Meagher, Chrissy Meagher, Stephen Meagher and Katie (Jeff) Tourville. They also had many 4-legged children too. The last three being Golden Retrievers made Sonia an avid fan and promoter of that breed. The crowning glory for Sonia was the arrival of grandchildren: Allison (Mark) Moberg, Jimmy (Andrea) Meagher, Jake Stien, Mackenzie Brommerich, Mike Meagher, Max Brommerich and Nicholas Meagher. Sonia delighted in everything about her new role as a grandmother and took on the moniker of "Gma" to signify her new role. She made it a point to be as engaged as possible with her grandchildren. From babysitting, to attending birthday parties and school performances or sports games, Sonia delighted in her grandchildren as much, if not more, than she delighted in raising her children. She also had one great grandson Clayton (Moberg) who she could always make smile. She had a wonderful extended family that she was very close to as well.

Sonia cherished her friendships, developing them at each stage of her life, with most of these lasting the remainder of her life. At the time of her passing, Sonia still had friendships that she developed from her long-time residence in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Sonia was known for being an amazing cook. She delighted in preparing tasty food to share with her family and friends! Whether it was an after-school snack for her children, a family dinner, cookies or cakes for birthday parties, or a holiday feast, Sonia could be counted on to cook something amazing and delicious because it was always prepared not only with her vast skill, but also with boundless love.

Sonia was a gem of a person who appreciated all that life gave her. Even in her diminished state near the end of her life, she quickly made friends with the HealthEast Hospice Nurses that came into her house. Sonia would express how grateful she was to have lived a long life full of wonderful experiences as well as a loving family, many good friends and compassionate care givers. She truly embodied the adage of a life well lived.

A Memorial Gathering of Family and Friends for Sonia will be held Friday, October 3, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM with Memory Sharing beginning at 3:30 PM at Wulff Woodbury Funeral Home, 2195 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125.