Mario T. SORIA

From:
Mario's friends, George and Ruth Mary Grant & Family

When I first met Mario he was teaching a Spanish for Travelers course at the Cleveland YMCA in 1954. I enrolled in the course prior to taking a vacation trip to southern Mexico. Mario invited me to his apartment in East Cleveland and I met Simone, Monique and Mireille. From that time on we became close friends. It is a friendship that lasted throughout the years and grew stronger as our families grew. We did so many things...

I'm so sorry for your loss, Monique.

Sue Hayes

From:
Mario's daughter, Michele Soria

Gabriella is right about how loving Papi/Tata was, and how important it is to share that love. Gabriella and I didn't write anything down about what we'd say together (at the funeral services) but we did talk earlier today about Tata - we smiled and laughed thinking about Tata. Tata always greeted people with his arms extended wide open in the air; when you walked into his home he would literally reach out with his arms toward you. We've...

From Mario's good friends, Shlomo & Vicky Benderly and family:
The Midrash tell us that in every generation there are in the world 36 righteous people (in Hebrew: Lamed Vav Tzadikim). In our book, Mario ZAL, was one of them, and with him leaving us, the world is short of one.
What a great husband, parent, great teacher and a wonderful friend he was. He loved the teachings and his students were crazy about him. Loved to travel, loved music and art and photography, the literature and...

From Mario's son-in-law, Curtis Freilich:
Mario was a teacher and the greatest lesson he taught was the example
of his life.

From the first time that I met him so many years ago I always felt
loved and welcome, a part of this large and wonderful family, something
that felt so natural and right, something not usually present in my own
immediate family.

He was a remarkable man with so much natural joy and passion (that
Latin thing) passions that ranged far and...