Mary Lou Lieser Connelly

April 29, 1926 - March 10, 2022

Mary Lou passed away March 10, surrounded by her children, after a 15-year battle with kidney cancer. Mary was born in Vancouver, Washington to Mary and Herbert Lieser. She graduated from Vancouver high school. She attended Willamette University in Salem for two years before transferring to the University of Washington where she graduated. At U of W she met the love of her life, Glenn Connelly. They married in 1961 and enjoyed 42 years of marriage until his passing in 2003.

Mary taught kindergarten at the Episcopal Day School of St. Matthew in San Mateo for over 30 years. After her retirement from teaching, she had too much energy so continued to substitute teach at St. Matthews. She volunteered with Ability Path and the Coyote Point Museum Auxiliary for many years, as well as with hospice until the pandemic began in 2020.

Mary was a devoted mother and wife. She swam with the Marlin Masters and was a competitive tennis player for many years. Mary was an avid reader and enjoyed being a part of several book clubs. One of her book clubs, the Trail Blazers, began reading together in 1994 and is still meeting today. She loved hosting dinners for her book clubs and her many friends. She was an accomplished cook. She couldn’t pass up a good cookbook, always trying new recipes to share with her family and friends. Mary was always up for an adventure. One of her cherished adventures was traveling to Mexico with friends to attend cooking classes. Just five short years ago, Mary traveled to Italy with her daughter, Lisa, to participate in a crosscountry cycling adventure

- at the ripe young age of 80! She loved the spinning classes, and her dear friends she met in those classes (the Spinning Divas), that helped her prepare for her trip to Italy. She enjoyed numerous camping and fishing trips with her sons, Mike, Chris and families.

Mary leaves a legacy of courage, strength and determination which is a model for all who knew her. She had a kind and generous spirit that we will miss every day.

Mary is survived by her children, Mike, Lisa, and Chris as well as six grandchildren and her brother Herb Lieser of Vancouver, WA.

There will be a memorial service for Mary on March 26th at 11:00 at St Mathews Episcopal Church in San Mateo. In lieu of flowers please donate to The American Cancer Society.