Ines Mejia Folger

Ines Mejia Folger Known to her friends as "Pui", died peacefully on July 15, 2007, three weeks after celebrating her 100th birthday. Born in Piedmont, California on June 25, 1907, she was the sixth and youngest child of Encarnacion and Gertrude Mejia, both of whom were born in El Salvador. At the time of his youngest child's birth, Mr. Mejia was the Consul General for El Salvador in San Francisco. After attending the Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco for the primary grades, Mrs. Folger was sent to Europe at the age of 12 to attend schools in Paris and London. During her schooling in Paris, she witnessed numerous historic post-World War I events, including the pageantry surrounding the burial of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe. She finished high school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Menlo Park, but was denied a diploma because she had helped a classmate elope in the spring of their senior year. In spite of the lack of a diploma or further formal education, her curiosity about people, places, and events made her a life-long learner by reading widely, traveling extensively, and meeting as many people as she could of all nationalities and from all walks of life. She never lost her love of France, taking French lessons well into her 100th year so she would not lose her accent. Mrs. Folger was married in 1933 to Peter Folger. They divorced in 1952. She had two children, Abigail and Peter. Her daughter died in 1969. Mrs. Folger was involved in numerous civic activities. Among others, she was a founding member of the Patrons of the Arts and Music at the Palace of the Legion of Honor and a member of the Board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A project that gave her great satisfaction and was reflective of her commitment to being involved in the events of her time, was working at the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in the mid-1960s. Besides her son, she is survived by her daughter-in-law Barbara; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A private Funeral Service occurred on July 18. There will be a Memorial Mass at 4:00 pm on September 17, 2007 at St. Ignatius Church, Fulton & Parker Streets. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Abigail Folger Lib- rary Fund, Santa Catalina School, 1500 Mark Thomas Drive, Monterey, CA 93940