NUNES: Maria Lea (nee Marshall), 88 years old, died at her home in Novato, California, after a long illness. She was born in Dol Bojanowice, near Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1922, to Johann Marsalek and Maria Marsalek (nee Mattiola). Her family moved to Italy and then to Canada when she was about 7 years old. They lived in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. She grew up on a farm on the prairie, where her father served as the local blacksmith and veterinarian and her mother excelled in the needle arts - sewing, crocheting and knitting and raised Maria and her 4 siblings on the farm: Brothers John and Frank, and sister Anne. Maria's twin, Adele, joined them later from Italy. Throughout her youth, she was an avid ice-skater, and at one time in her childhood skated with Olympian Peggy Fleming. Maria worked as a nurse during WWII, and a secretary for the Canadian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. While working at the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Maria met John Edward May, an Englishman, whom she married in 1952. Later on in life, she augmented her high school diploma with numerous college courses in business, real estate, and psychology. In 1960 she was naturalized and became a very proud American citizen, always displaying the flag in some manner. After some time travelling and exploring Canada and the U.S., Maria and John settled in San Francisco and then Marin County, California. In 1962, they divorced, and Maria settled in the Bret Harte neighborhood of San Rafael, where she was living when she met and married Joseph Anthony Nunes of Novato, CA, on June 9, 1965, and moved to Novato. During this time, she worked for a title company, and later became a real estate agent in Novato, and then a broker, heading her own business in the North Bay for many years. She earned numerous certifications and additional licenses to further her profession. Maria was an avid and prolific gardener, never losing her farm roots. Her green thumb produced bounties of vegetables and flowers year after year. She enjoyed visiting local farms for boxes of fruit, which she preserved, shared with friends and used to make pies from scratch. Maria was a member of Our Lady of Loretto Church, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Toastmasters International, the Lion's Club, IDESI, FPIA and the Italian Catholic Federation branch in Novato, California. She loved to spend time with her twin sister Adele in various travel excursions around the United States and Canada. Maria is survived by her sons, Jack Marshall and David Winston Spencer Marshall, and her daughter, Valerie April May. She is predeceased by her late husband Joseph Anthony Nunes. Friends and family are invited to attend the Funeral Mass, Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 10:30 AM at Our Lady of Loretto Church, 1806 Novato Blvd., Novato. A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY & CREMATORY, 850 Keokuk St., Petaluma, CA with the Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Loretto Church. Entombment: Valley Memorial Park, Novato, next to her late husband, Joe. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice by the Bay. ____________________________________________________
