Mary Bucher Obituary

Mary Gerrity Bucher
08/13/1932 - 04/28/2025
Mary Elizabeth (Gerrity) Bucher, born August 13, 1932, passed away peacefully at home in Berkeley on April 28, 2025, at the age of 92. She was predeceased by Charlie, her beloved husband of 64 years, her parents John Emmett "Jack" Gerrity and Dorothy (Wetmore) Gerrity, and siblings Joe, Margaret, John, and Kate. She is survived by her children Danny (Jastonie), Richard (Courtney), Katy (Stig), Tony, and Charlie Jr., and by her cherished grandchildren Ryan and Mary, in addition to many dear friends and extended family members .
Mary was an outgoing, generous, kind, and intelligent person with a terrific sense of humor. She devoted her life to family, music, and teaching, and her deep religious faith gave her spiritual guidance as she navigated the world. She was the cheerful and warm matriarch of her extended family and maintained deep ties in her community with lifelong friends drawn from her years engaging in her varied activities.
A 3rd generation, lifelong Berkeleyan, Mary was a proud alumna of the School of the Madeleine, and a 2nd generation graduate of both Berkeley High School and UC Berkeley. Raised in an artistic family of painters and actors, Mary found her passion for music at Cal, where she majored in musical theory and her devotion to choral music was ignited.
She launched her teaching career in 1951 as a schoolyard supervisor at Whittier School in Berkeley and, following her graduation from Cal, began as an elementary school teacher at Twin Peaks Elementary in San Francisco in 1954. After starting a family of her own she became a beloved substitute and summer school teacher in East Bay Catholic and Albany public schools. She eventually retired from teaching at the age of 80.
In January 1956, Mary spotted the love of her life, Charlie Bucher, across a crowded gathering of San Francisco's Old St. Mary's church club. She was impressed with his handsome looks and composure and won over by his warmth and kindness. Their love blossomed quickly, and Charlie proposed to Mary two months later at her Pine Street apartment after a day spent together at the St. Patrick's Day parade. The two were married at Old St. Mary's on June 23, 1956, and soon moved back to Berkeley to start their family, creating community and building friendships spanning decades in the neighborhood where they made their home for almost 60 years.
Mary loved hosting events and bringing people together at home and at the St. Mary Magdalen parish hall - block parties, St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest celebrations, holiday gatherings and family birthdays. She taught Baptism classes at the church and prepared hundreds of parents and godparents for their children's Baptisms.
Music played a vital role in Mary's life, and she had a passion for choral singing. She sang in the St. Mary Magdalen choir for over 40 years and in the UC Berkeley University Chorus and Berkeley Community Chorus for more than a dozen years each. She had a brief stint with San Francisco Opera as a supernumerary in a production of Boris Godunov in the 1970's.
Over the years, Mary was well known as a very popular substitute and summer school teacher in Berkeley and Albany. She was delighted to often be approached in public by her former students as grown adults, who remembered her fondly and might regale her with a song she taught them in the classroom as children.
After Charlie's death in 2020, Mary continued to live in their Berkeley home thanks to the exceptional care of her dedicated team of caregivers from St. Anthony's Care Services. The family is deeply grateful for the excellent care and loving companionship provided by Maria Teresa Santiago, Epifania Frisnedi, and Lana Rozales during these years.
The family welcomes friends and community members to join them for Mary's funeral Mass which will be celebrated on Saturday, June 14th, at 10:30 am at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman Street, in Berkeley followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. A Rosary vigil will be held the evening before her funeral, on Friday, June 13th, at 7:00pm, also at St. Mary Magdalen Church.
Donations in Mary's memory can be made to UC Berkeley's Department of Music at https://give.berkeley.edu/fund/FN7213000, and the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose at https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E9629&id=1.