Mary Lynn Kunkel was born on November 19, 1962 in South San Francisco, California to Len and Estelle Landi. The youngest of four, she was raised with 1 sister, Elaine Bergdall, and 2 brothers, John Landi and Dave Landi. She spent most of her life in San Jose, California - from 1972 until her passing on May 26, 2019.
Mary attended Berryessa Elementary School, Piedmont Middle School, and Piedmont High School, and graduated from Independence High School in 1980. She also took Accounting courses at Mission College.
She was introduced to her husband, Bill Kunkel, in 1978 during a shift he was working at Straw Hat Pizza in San Jose, California. Mary and Bill were married on April 9, 1983. They had 2 children: Jason Kunkel on July 5, 1986 and Justine Kunkel on May 27, 1987.
Mary was passionate about sports. She enjoyed playing tennis, basketball, baseball, and softball; in fact, Mary went into labor with her son while playing volleyball. She also liked watching her children play. In her later years, she loved attending Oakland Raiders games with her family and friends.
Dogs held a special place in Mary’s heart. She had several dogs through her life, including Pearl, Mindy, Chelsea, Jasmine, Hayley, and Sierra. She took pleasure in going for dog walks and developing friendships with those who shared her fondness.
She also appreciated spending time with her family over the holidays and vacations.
Mary spent her career in Human Resources, and took pride in helping people find work and be successful in their careers. She worked for 20 years at Connor Manufacturing Services and 13 years at Aehr Test Systems. She cherished the friendships she made during her career.
Mary was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer in December 2014. Her hard-fought battle against the disease for 4.5 years was a testament to her strength and courage.
She was selfless in supporting everyone in her life. Mary was a caring wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and coworker. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Mary is survived by her husband, Bill, children, Jason and Justine, daughter-in-law, Paola, parents, Estelle and Len, siblings, Elaine, John, and Dave, sisters-in-law, Marianne and Donna, aunt, Mary, nephew, Brian, niece-in-law, Victoria, great niece, Ashlynn, and lifelong friend, Becky.
Her funeral will be on June 3rd, 2019 at 11:00AM PST at Lima Family Mortuary, 466 North Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara CA 95050. She will be laid to rest at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln St, Santa Clara, CA 95050.
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