Mary Louise Klevan
June 29, 1921 - November 30, 2025
Obituary
Early on Sunday morning, November 30th , Mary Louis Klevan, a Stockton resident for over 72
years passed away peacefully in her home with members of her family by her side. Mary was
104 years young. She was born on June 29 th, 1921, in Riva Tregoso, Italy to Giovanni and
Augusta Canepa and as a baby traveled by boat across the sea to America and ending up in
beautiful Monterey California. Mary grew up in a large and loving Italian family with many
brothers, sisters, and cousins. As the oldest sibling, many of the family responsibilities fell upon
her. At an early age, she worked in the canneries on Cannery Row, served as an Au pair for a
Monterey area family, and did various other jobs to help support her family. Mary was a proud
graduate of Monterey High School! With the start of World War II, Mary and daughter Lenora,
her mama and papa and younger brothers Louie and Dominic along with nearly all of the
Monterey area Italian community were relocated by the government from their home in New
Monterey to an area in Sand City nearer to Fort Ord. Soon after, Mary returned to Monterey and
worked for the phone company as a long-distance operator. She met a young soldier named
Stanley Klevan and a romance soon developed. At the War’s conclusion and under the GI Bill,
Stan attended the College of the Pacific in Stockton where he earned a degree in journalism
and landed a job with The Stockton Record newspaper. Mary and Stan were soon married and
moved to Tracy, his first assignment as a reporter. They relocated to Lodi where their two
children Janette and Robert were born. In 1955, they purchased a home in Stockton, the same
home where Mary lived for the rest of her life. Stan and Mary were active with their church, The
First Congregational Church, had many friends, and often traveled with the family to Monterey
and elsewhere including a cross-country trip to New York to visit Stan’s family. Stan passed
away in April 1990. Mary continued to stay active in her church, served as a Board member for Plymouth Square, played golf, and generally stayed active until her passing.
She is survived by her daughters Lenora Leoni and Janette Klevan, and by her son Robert (Nicki) Klevan, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to a charity of your choice or to the First Congregational Church of Stockton.
“Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories.” Author unknown.
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Klevan family.
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