Sonya Sofield

1935 - 2019

Sonya Ringwald Sofield, of Amherst, died on Saturday, May 18th from Parkinson's Disease. She spent her last days surrounded by friends and family. Sonya was born on June 25, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois. She grew up in Oak Park and attended Indiana University. She was married in 1958 to David Sofield in San Francisco and began graduate studies in Art History at UC Berkeley. She was the mother of three children: Mark, born in 1959, Annie, born in 1961 and Michael, born in 1964. The family moved to Amherst in 1965. Michael died in 1966 from complications of Rubenstein-Tabies Syndrome. Sonya taught Art History as an adjunct at Smith College for many years. She loved nature and was a volunteer and board member of the Hitchcock Center. She served on the Amherst Conservation Commission and Town Meeting. Sonya earned a Master's Degree in Architecture from Yale in 1983 and worked for several years at an architectural firm in Northampton. She was divorced in 1992. She is survived by her son Mark, daughter-in-law Kelly Feeney, and granddaughter Marcella of Amherst, as well as her daughter Annie, son-in-law Ed Reed, and their sons Jake and Jeff of New York City. She is remembered as a deeply compassionate friend. Donations can be made to www.folkartrajasthan.org/donate.

Memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com