Maurine Perona quietly passed away on January 6, 2019 at the home of her youngest daughter Laurine Guido in Simi Valley, California. She was 92. She is survived by her six children: Kathleen (Stephan) Seable of Grants Pass, Oregon; Sheri (Jim) Schuneman of Antioch, California; Cliff (Linette) Perona of Concord, California; Marcia (Anthony) Damiano of Arcadia, California; Clarissa O’Connor (Paul) of Provo, Utah; and Laurine (Mike) Guido of Simi Valley, California.
She also leaves a legacy of thirty-three grandchildren, ninety-nine great grandchildren, and four great, great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband of fifty-eight years Raymond Bernard Perona, her brother Ralph Ingham Olson, and baby grandson Anthony Michael Guido. Maurine was born to Alta Ingham and Francisco Mena Alvarado (alias Armand DeVado) April 7, 1926 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Her parents divorced when she was a baby. When Maurine was about one and a half years old, her mother moved with other family members to the Bay Area in California. Her mother subsequently married Wendell Olson in San Francisco, California.
Maurine’s beloved brother Ralph Ingham Olson was born June 12, 1928. The family eventually settled in Albany, California and her parents owned a drug store where Maurine would work at the store soda fountain. She had many happy memories of her childhood with Ralph and later of many family gatherings with his wife Tinin and their children Aileen and Jeff.
Maurine was an excellent student at Albany High School. When she was sixteen she eloped with her fiance Ray Perona to Reno, Nevada where they were married July 28, 1942. After returning, she completed her high school credits in two months and received her diploma prior to giving birth to her first daughter in 1943.
While her husband Ray served for three years in the army during World War II, she worked for Shell Development in Emeryville, California. During this time her widowed great aunt Pearl Taylor came to live with the family and remained with them until her death in 1965. After the war, in 1950 the family moved to Pleasant Hill, California where Maurine raised her six children and served in many positions of responsibility in her congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She worked in organizations for young children, teenagers and women and for years helped people with family history research. For several years she also taught an early morning Seminary scripture study class for high school aged children. In the community, Maurine headed a committee to lobby for a back-to-basics school in Mount Diablo School District and was instrumental in bringing to fruition the Sequoia Elementary and Middle schools.
Maurine was an avid gardener, great cook, and devoted wife and mother. She took sewing lessons and became competent enough to sew her daughter Clarissa’s wedding dress. She loved the beauties of flowers and nature; she loved camping, reading, taking adult education classes, working crossword puzzles, water aerobics at the YMCA and family get-togethers.
It was always evident to her family that, next to her God, they were the priority in her life. At eighty-eight years old she was still driving a car to her exercise classes. She then experienced a devastating stroke four years ago which deprived her of her excellent speaking, writing and reading skills and her independent mobility.
Nevertheless, she still radiated much love as she interacted with others, and she was quite adept at putting together jigsaw puzzles. Maurine will be sorely missed by a loving family and by all who knew her. She has left a wonderful legacy of family, responsibility, high minded principles, loving service and faith in God.
VIEWING Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1360 Alberta Way, Concord, CA Saturday, January 19 9:00 am – 9:50 am FUNERAL SERVICES Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1360 Alberta Way, Concord, CA Saturday, January 19 10:00 am INTERMENT Oakmont Memorial Park 2099 Reliez Valley Rd.
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