Point Richmond, CA / Madison, WI – Molly E. Mortell, age 62, passed away in her sleep at her home in Point Richmond, CA on June 19 after a determined fight with cancer.

Molly was born October 18, 1954 in Oshkosh, WI, the second child of William P. and Kathleen Roe Mortell. She grew up in Madison, graduating from Our Lady Queen of Peace and Edgewood HS. A superior student, she went on to earn BAs in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering, the former from Rosary College (now Dominican University of River Forest, IL) and the latter from UW-Milwaukee.

Molly moved to the San Francisco Bay area in the 1980s and worked for Honeywell, Systems Mechanical, and Controlco. She helped construct countless buildings in the Bay Area including the Moscone Convention Center. She was a talented engineer who was most often found at a construction site climbing ladders with 20 lbs of equipment in her backpack. She thought it was fun to fix things and do projects, which made her a popular visitor with family and friends.

She loved the family cottage on Lake Winnebago and had a lifelong passion for sailing. She sailed Winnebago, Lake Michigan and San Francisco Bay. She served as Commodore of the UW-M sailing club, sailing out of McKinley harbor onto Lake Michigan.

From 1995 to 1998, Molly served as the Treasurer on the San Jose Grail Development Corporation (SJGDC) Board of Directors. The SJGDC, a non-profit San Jose-based grass-roots women’s organization, developed the Grail Community Housing, a $10M development which included 35 for-sale affordable townhomes, a childcare center, a community center and computer lab. This innovative, community-based project incorporated co-housing design features and intensive community planning/design meetings. Molly was tireless and unflappable, and her hard work and intelligence were key to making the project a success. Today the Grail Family Services continues to support children’s positive educational outcomes and continues to build a thriving community at that site – www.gfsfamilyservices.org.

Molly was a wonderful big sister and helped raise her four younger sisters. Throughout her life she continued to reach out to the people around her with her quiet kindness, warm smile and sense of humor. She loved animals and was a patient and gentle trainer. Dogs were a favorite including Grover, Duffy, Ziva, and Mack. She raised and trained two rabbits, Ki and Zoom-Zoom and rescued a cat, Miracle. Molly was an avid reader and was often found with a book in her hand and a dog on her lap.

Molly is survived by her partner, Cecilia Figueroa; her mother, Kathleen Mortell; six siblings: Charles, Paul (Jane Hird), Mari (Clem Kwee), Jackie (Matt Martini), Kathy Hanlon (Cliff McIntosh), and Colleen; and 10 nieces and nephews: Carolyn, Jack, Nic, Maddie, Sheila, Martin, Sofia, Sarina, Delia and William.

Molly’s family would like to thank the amazing Becky Jonas for the generous gift of her time and skill. Her caring daily assistance made Molly’s journey easier. We would like to thank the people at Controlco for their support of Molly through the past year. Lastly, we would like to thank the people of hospice who helped her return home and spend her last days in comfort in the place she loved with her dogs, family and friends.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, June 24th from 1pm – 3pm at the Sunset View Cemetery Association, 101 Colusa Avenue, El Cerrito, CA. The funeral and burial will be in Oshkosh, WI at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Grail Family Services at 2003 E. San Antonio Street, San Jose, CA 95116 – www.gfsfamilyservices.org or the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, 585 Co Rd Z, Sinsinawa, WI 53824.