MARY ANN SOFIS

1934 - 2023

SOFIS, Mary Ann Formerly of Hingham, died peacefully at 88, on August 1, 2023, with her family by her side. Mary was a first generation Greek American, born on September 16, 1934, and raised in Salem. She was married for 63 years to the late Ernest Sofis; and a loving mother to Dina Sofis of Watertown, Lisa Sofis and her husband John Sofis Scheft of Arlington; and wonderful grandmother to Callie Sofis-Scheft of Washington, DC, and Perry Sofis-Scheft of Arlington. Mary spent much of her life helping others. She was one of the original ESL teachers in the Quincy Public Schools in the 1970s, first teaching the English language to children who immigrated from Greece and quickly expanding her reach to assist children from China, Southeast Asia, and around the world - for more than 40 years. Mary persistently advanced her professional skills - earning Master degrees in guidance counseling from Boston University and in ESL studies from Northeastern University - while raising her two daughters. She will be remembered for her fun-loving nature and the ease with which she made friends. She was the consummate volunteer - at church, on a town budget committee, with the historical society, or in democratic politics - highlighted by her election as a delegate for Michael Dukakis at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes a donation in her memory to the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health at mamh.org/contribute/donate or mailed to 50 Federal St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02110, the Boston Symphony Orchestra at bso.org/donate or mailed to 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02115, or to a charity of your choice. A memorial service for Mary will be held on August 16th, at 1:30 p.m. at Old Ship Church, in Hingham. For more information and online guestbook, go to www.downingchapel.com

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