July 28, 1930 - December 14, 2022
Mary Lou Sokolich passed away December 14th at age 92 after along illness. Born and raised in Dickerson Run, Pennsylvania, she trained as a nurse in Pittsburgh, married Frank in 1955, and relocated to Ohio in 1956. Mary Lou was a proud and devoted nurse who served at St. Alexis Hospital for 25 years. She paused her career to raise five children in Cleveland and later Maple Heights: Martin (Melody), Mike (Lynne), Millie Harnocz (Alex), Matt (Vicky), and Mary Ellen Newell (Greg). She was a kind and caring grandmother to seven: Andy (Andrew), Steve (Donna), Michael (Lillian), and Matt Sokolich (Sara), Alex Harnocz (Julie), Jessica Newell, and Elizabeth Norman (Chris) and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter Mary Ellen and siblings Joe and Pat. She is survived by her brother Jack McGrogan of Pennsylvania. Her family would like to thank her neighbors on East 141st Street for assisting Mary Lou after Frank’s passing in 2014. We also express our gratitude to the staff at Jennings Center for caring for Mary Lou in her later years. We know that she felt a kinship with nurses and caregivers to the last. Mary Lou will be interred with Frank at Western Reserve National Cemetery.
A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023 from 5-8 p.m. at Vito-Nero Funeral Home 6130 Turney Rd. Garfield Hts., OH 44125 (2 blocks south of Rockside ).
To honor Mary Lou’s memory, we suggest thanking a nurse, petting a cat, or visiting a neighbor.