Mary Elizabeth Cowan Dubreuil, devoted daughter, sister, and friend, passed away in Orange, CA on August 2, 2020.
Adoring daughter to Bruce and loving sister to Richard, Jane, Robert, Anne, and Josef. Beloved aunt to Robert, Sara, Amanda, Lex, Joshua, Sasha, Zachary, Ariel, Gabriel, Jack, Sam,, Jason, and Dylan. Great aunt to Piper and Luke.
Mary was born on October 22, 1956, in Santa Monica, CA. She grew up in Los Angeles and attended 54th Street elementary school. In the mid-1960S, Mary moved with her family to the north San Fernando Valley and graduated from Sylmar High School in 197 4. She later attended the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and became part of the LA art scene.
From an early age. Mary was a voracious reader and an avid artist. She loved British and Irish writers, from Shakespeare to Dickens, and Joyce to Woolf. She admired the great Am,erican writers, too, and could easily quote from Faulkner, Melville, Thoreau, and Sylvia Plath - to name a few. Museums were her treasured stomping grounds. Mary could spend hours and days at the LA County Museum of Art, the Getty, and the Huntington Library and Art Museum. Recentry, Mary volunteered as a docent at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
Mary loved 60s and 70s music, from Bob Dylan and The Doors, to Blind Faith and The Who. Classic lyrics seemed to live with her forever and Mary would frequently cite a favorite line from Dylan, Morrison, or another of her best-loved poet musicians to make her point. Besides rock, blues, and folk, Mary's eclectic world of music also expanded into the Jazz fusion of Sun Ra and The Arkestra. Mary was known to travel across the country following The Arkestra and to immerse herself in the light, space, and timelessness of Sun Ra's music.
Mary will be remembered as a beloved daughter and sister - and an unwavering friend. She was an artist and a free spirit as well as an inspiration to all who knew her. Services will be held on August 17th at El Toro Memorial Park in Orange County, CA, and officiated by Rabbi Robin Bloomberg of Congregation B'nai Israel of Tustin, CA.