In Memory

Mary Male

Mary Male

Mary Male

February 3, 1949 - September 22, 2021
Santa Cruz, CA


Marilyn Clare (Mary) Male, died peacefully at home from a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Born in Austin, Texas, she lived in Santa Cruz since 1986 and was happily married to David Brick for 23 years. She was the beloved mother of Jonathan Barclay of Santa Cruz and stepmom of Cameron Brick of Amsterdam, and Aaron Brick and wife Xochi Candelaria and grandchildren Sonia and Felix of San Francisco, and sister of Frank Male (wife Kathy McCulloch), who live in Yachats, Oregon. She cherished an extended family of cousins on both sides of her family. 

She grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and was a member of the Norman High School Class of 1966. Her father, Roy R. Male, was an English professor at OU, and her mother, Carolyn Male, was a realtor. Mary received her Ph.D. in special education from the University of Southern California, her MA in learning disabilities, and her BA in French from the University of Texas at Austin.

An emerita professor of special education at San Jose State University where she taught for 23 years, Mary was passionate about teaching and helping children with special needs and their families. Her first teaching job was in the migrant farmworker community of Crystal City, Texas, followed by elementary school teaching in San Antonio, prior to moving to California and leading professional development programs for the federal Regional Resource Center and the California Department of Education. Her students found her teaching engaging, inspirational, and creative; she was the author of numerous books and articles, and a renowned speaker at conferences and workshops.

In 2019, she finished her novel, The Land Beyond the Rain, the story of her Irish-American family and re-discovering a long-lost cousin in Belfast after 40 years. Never having written fiction before, Mary discovered the Todos Santos Writers' Workshop, Baja California Sur (her favorite place on earth), where she received the support she needed to bring the novel to publication.

She loved to travel and explore new places and cultures; she learned to ride a motorcycle when she was 45 (having been introduced by David to the joy of traveling on two wheels). She rode more than 16,000 miles on her own bike, and she and David enjoyed numerous trips together. She visited 38 countries and every continent and never stopped planning for the next trip.

Mary was dedicated to making the world a better place and was active in local organizations as a volunteer. She was a co-founder of UCSC Dreamweavers, a community of support for undocumented students, a Court-Appointed Special Advocate, and a founding member of the UCSC Smith Society. She was an active leader at Peace United Church of Christ of Santa Cruz, serving in a variety of roles and initiating new programs, including the Women's Jail Ministry, the proposed Peace Village rental housing development, and COPA (Communities Organized for Relationship Power in Action).

She was a member of Osher Life Long Institute (OLLI), participating in the So Many Books, So little Time book club, the tennis doubles group, and the pandemic support group). Colleagues and friends appreciated her compassion, gentleness, generosity of spirit, curiosity, energy, and sense of humor.

A celebration of her life will be held October 16, 2021. To receive a link to the livestream event, email dbrick@cruzio.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to Peace United Christ of Santa Cruz of Christ are welcomed.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/santacruzsentinel/name/marilyn-male-obituary?pid=200194633