Mary Cotter

March 26, 1926 - February 21, 2024

Mary Frances Cotter (nee Priebe) passed away peacefully on February 21, 2024, at the age of 97.

Born in Spokane, Wash., on March 26, 1926, to Wilhelm and Martha Priebe. Mary was raised in Spokane with her older sister, Betty. After graduating from Lewis and Clark High School, she attended Sacred Heart Nursing School in Spokane, graduating in the top of her class. After receiving her nursing degree, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to take advantage of additional training in Psychiatry. She worked at San Francisco General Hospital as a registered surgical nurse while enjoying life in post-World War II San Francisco. She also attended Mills College. Mary met her future husband, John Cotter in 1951, and they were married on January 31, 1952. John’s work with the Army

Air Force briefly moved them to Minneapolis and Kansas City. In 1954, they returned to the Bay Area and settled in San Mateo. They relocated to San Francisco in 1959, where they raised their five children in the Richmond district over the next 35 years.

In the 1970’s, Mary went back to school to renew her nursing license; and started working in the high-risk neonatal unit at Kaiser Hospital as a registered nurse from the mid 1970’s to the early 1980’s. Mary always remembered this work as one of her most fulfilling accomplishments. After retirement, John and Mary relocated to San Rafael.

Carmel, Calif., held a special place for John and Mary, and in the mid 1990’s, they purchased a second home there. They enjoyed spending much of the year in their second home in Carmel, with walks on the beach, dinners at local restaurants, and spending time with their children and grandchildren who loved to visit. She was always available for card and board games with her grandchildren, to whom she was Mimi.

Mary loved to play games, read mystery novels, work jigsaw puzzles, play her mini grand piano (classical music only) and collect antique dolls. She always made it a point to attend local doll shows in Marin County. John and Mary loved to attend performances of both the San Francisco and Marin Symphonies. John and Mary were active in the Christian Family Movement through the Star of the Sea parish. They also enjoyed sailing on San Francisco Bay. John and Mary took a number of trips to Europe, which included France, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria, which they enjoyed immensely. She was also active in the choir at Villa Marin. One of John and Mary’s favorite pass times in their retirement years was to visit “old haunts” and local “joints” in San Francisco from the days of their youth.

We would like to acknowledge the loving care she received at Villa Marin and also the warm compassion care from the Hospice team at By the Bay Health.

Mary was predeceased by her husband, John Joseph Cotter. She is survived by her five children, Mark Cotter and his wife, Donna, of San Rafael; Maggie Allen Chase and her husband, Michael, of Tiburon; Paul Cotter of Rancho Cordova; Cecilia Cotter, and her husband, Karl, of Sonoma; and John Cotter and his wife Carmel, of San Francisco. She leaves behind her ten grandchildren: Katherine (and husband, Tyler), Jeffrey, Michael, Lloyd, Joseph, Michelle, Colleen, Marisa (and husband Sean), Brennan and Brian; and three greatgrandchildren: Lili, Haley, and Ava. We will miss our Mom and Mimi. A private service for family members was held.