Mary Noel Upton
January 7, 1932-February 26, 2013
Resident of Sunnyvale
Mary Noel Upton, age 81, of Sunnyvale and late of Aptos died peacefully on February 26, 2013. She was surrounded by loving members of her family and long-time friend, Ardith Franson of Roseville, MN.
Mary was born on January 7, 1932 in Carrington, North Dakota to Ellen Lucile (Bergin) Holmgren and George A. Holmgren. The Holmgren family moved to nearby New Rockford where Mary was raised. She graduated from high school in 1949 and enrolled at North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo that fall. At NDAC (later North Dakota State University) Mary was active in Kappa Delta Sorority. She graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Home Economics.
Upon graduation, Mary accepted an internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital in dietetics where Mary met and married Gene Upton. The Uptons spent short periods of time in several Midwestern cities before they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Uptons settled in Mountain View where their son, Michael James was born. Two years later, the family moved to Sunnyvale where daughter Mary Elizabeth (Betsy) was born.
Mary returned to work in 1972 at Stanford where she was a dietician with the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Project. Subsequently, Mary worked for Lifescan Corporation from where Mary retired. After retirement, Mary lived in Aptos, California where she was an active member of the Santa Cruz Newcomers Club for many years and traveled extensively. Early last December, illness required her to move back to the old family home in Sunnyvale.
Mary is survived by her son, Michael (Wendy) Upton of Petaluma and daughter, Betsy (Craig) Burrows of San Jose; four loving grandchildren, Hannah and Ben of Petaluma and Matthew and Meagan of San Jose; brother, Tom Holmgren (Carol) of Sunnyvale and nephew Chuck Holmgren (Faith) of Moorestown, NJ and niece Kristina Holmgren of Santa Clara.
Mary will be missed by many close, caring and loving friends in the South Bay, Aptos, the Upper Midwest and throughout the country.
Those who knew Mary appreciated her fun-loving nature, great sense of humor, selflessness, down-to-earth approach to life, positive outlook, and amazing heart. Her love for and devotion to her family defy words; she derived great joy from being a mother, grandmother and shopper and was utterly phenomenal in those roles. She enriched the lives of everyone who knew her and will be deeply missed. Her bright and beautiful spirit, however, will never be forgotten.
Friends are invited to attend a prayer service at 7PM Monday, March 4, 2013 at LIMA CAMPAGNA SUNNYVALE MORTUARY, 1315 Hollenbeck Avenue, Sunnyvale. A Memorial Mass will be said at 2PM Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at Resurrection Catholic Church, 7600 Soquel Drive, Aptos, California. Private family interment will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Mary's name to The De Colores Foundation, 15 Palomar Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91911. Please see decoloresfoundation.org
Please visit Mary's Memorial website at www. mylifeline.org/maryupton