Mary Beth Lopez passed away at age 67 on Thursday, March 5th, 2020. She was preceded in death by her parents Ruth and Edgar Heath and her brother Neal of Nezperce, Idaho.
Mary was born to Edgar and Ruth on December 15th, 1952 in Clarkston, WA. She graduated from Nezperce High School and met her husband Juan H Lopez of Burlington, WA while pursuing a degree in Education at Boise State and went on to have two sons, Juan Miguel Lopez (1979) and Andrew James Lopez (1986). She is survived by her husband Juan, her eldest son Miguel and son in-law Dan, her youngest son Andrew, and three sisters, Carol Anderson of Texas, Janet Adams of Utah, and Ruth Anne Cole of Idaho. She was followed shortly in death by her sister Kathy Regennitter of Iowa.
Mary devoted her life to following Christ’s teachings and honored him though her service and dedication to others. Throughout her personal and professional life, Mary strived to improve the lives of young women and their children in education, financial, emotional support. For the majority of her educational career, Mary served as the director and administrator of the Nampa Teen Parent Program in the Nampa School District. Through the program she helped teenage mothers complete their high school education and create positive lives for their children. In her personal life she was a long time member of Southside Boulevard United Methodist Church and a member of P.E.O., a philanthropic sisterhood dedicated to enriching women's lives through scholarships and grants. She also believed in education for all girls and donated her time sewing and collecting donations for the international program Days for Girls.
Mary found balance and grace in her life by channeling the love she had for others into love for herself. She took up water-color painting later in her life after her sons had grown and filled the walls of her home with her amazing artwork. Once she had retired from teaching she became an avid traveler, taking multiple month long trips to Europe and South America as well as cruises to Alaska and Hawaii. Everyone who knew Mary knew that she would have stories to tell about her current adventures or future plans of travels. In between destinations, Mary filled the pages of her scrapbooks with the photos of beautiful cities she visited.
Mary was an avid cook and baker and loved to recreate meals she had experienced abroad. She hosted amazing weekly family meals for her sons and their families filled with lots of laughs and love. Every Christmas she made Mexican tamales for her family and friends and was eager to teach all those that wanted to learn her secrets. She hosted pancake feeds and lasagna dinners for Juan’s high school cross country teams who looked forward to the event every year. Mary showed her love for others through her cooking. You always felt the meal was made just for you.
Memorial services will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, March 13th, 2020 at Nampa Funeral Home Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Ave South, Nampa ID, 83651 with a light lunch reception and refreshments to follow from 11:30 AM to 2:30 P.M. at Still Water Hollow, 18120 Dean Lane, Nampa 83687.
In lieu of flowers, to honor Mary’s charitable example, the family requests donations be made to Days for Girls SW Boise Team https://donate.daysforgirls.org/team/199985
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