Mary Eileen Tronvig, 90 of Rossmoor, California peacefully passed away on June 20, 2018 with her daughters by her side. Mary was born in Chicago, IL. on August 9, 1927; she was the oldest of ten children of Anne Gibbons and Francis Igoe.
She is survived by her two sons, Robert and William and four daughters, Patricia, Marjorie, Kathleen, and Terese. Two of her sons, Daniel and Richard preceded her in death. She is survived by fourteen grandchildren: Sean, Erik, Alexander, Viktoria,… Read More » Mary, Daniel, Christine, Claire, Katherine, William, Angela, Matthew, Allison and Nicholas and 19 great grandchildren.
Mary married the love of her life Robert C. Tronvig, Sr. October 4, 1947 while living in Chicago where they both worked for American Telephone and Telegraph; he was a World War II Navy veteran. They moved to California in 1955 with four young children and established their home in Walnut Creek, Ca. where they raised all eight children.
After forty years of marriage, Robert predeceased her in 1988. Mary taught Catechism for many years at St. Mary’s Church in Walnut Creek and a Lector and RCIA teacher at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Walnut Creek. She attended Diablo Valley Junior College earning her AA degree and an Accountancy Certificate and worked in the accounting department for various firms.
She was honored to serve on the Contra Costa Grand Jury for two terms. Mary’s intellect, wit and warm smile engaged all those who met her. She engrained in her children an ambition to excel.
To this day they her honor her by having an exemplary work ethic having reached the pinnacles of their respective professions. The family fondly recalls camping trips and fishing trips to the mountains and the coast. All jammed into a tent in their sleeping bags, the little ones slept under the cots of the older children awakening in the morning to breakfast over a camp fire.
All those wonderful memories still bind her children into the loving family that she and Robert, Sr. created together. With a twinkle in her eye Mary would tell stories about her Irish Catholic parents who were involved with the IRA. The British caught Mom’s mother and charged her as an IRA spy but as she was only 16 she was expelled from Ireland and sent to America.
Her father, also 16 years old at the time, was put up in front of a firing squad several times in an attempt to extract information on the IRA; he also was expelled to America. Those stories enriched the lives of all she knew. Mary will be greatly missed as the nurturing and ambitious woman that she was.
She truly promoted happiness and she will live on in our hearts and memories. We thank her for making us the successful people we have become. Mom, thank you!
We love you! A Catholic Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Church on 2039 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
, Walnut Creek, CA on June 9, 2018 at 10:00 am with a burial ceremony at Queen of Heaven Cemetery at 1965 Reliez Valley Rd. , Lafayette, CA 94549 to follow the Mass. The reception will follow the burial ceremony at St. Elizabeth Parish Hall at St. Mary Church at approximately 1:00 pm.
Mary will be laid to rest with Robert C. Tronvig, Sr., the love of her life. The family asks that any donations be made to the American Heart Association.
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