Mary V ‘Dora’ Mandra

August 20, 1923 - August 25, 2022

SAN DIEGO — Mary Mandra, 99, of Chula Vista, CA, passed away on Aug 25, 2022, due to dementia and old age. She was born in Calexico, CA on August 20, 1923, to Jose and Maria Valverde. Her father was from Sevilla, Spain, and her mother was from El Alamo, Mexico. She was the middle child in a family of 7 children. Her family nicknamed her “Dora.” She attended San Diego High and graduated with honors in 1943. After graduation, she went on to study nursing and in her later years became a Nurse Practitioner in Gynecology. During WWII, she served as a cadet nurse for the US Army and tended to injured service members and POWS.

In late 1948, she met Ange Mandra, a former WWII US Army Air Corps pilot with interesting stories. They had a whirlwind romance. Mary married the love of her life in May 1949, going

on to have two children, Ronan (boy) and Carol (girl). When the children were old enough, she resumed work as a nurse. Her last job was with the San Ysidro Health Center in San Ysidro, CA, which she helped get started. She worked there for 18 years. After retiring in 1988, she spent time caring for her husband, who had developed a heart condition. He passed in 1990. Afterward, she did some traveling with her daughter Carol. Unfortunately, with time, she developed dementia, thereby losing her life’s stories.

Mary was born into a family of four brothers and three sisters who were deceased before her death. Mary is survived by her children, Ronan, daughter-in-law, June, and Carol. Her remaining friends, nieces, and nephews will greatly miss her and the wonderful spirit she added to their lives.

Services will be held at St. Pius X, Chula Vista, CA on Sep 21, 2022. Visitation will be from 10:00 - 11:00 AM, service from 11:00 Am-noon, reception in the church hall from Noon to 1:30 PM, and burial at El Camino Memorial Park at 2:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Organization https://www.alz.org/. Please sign the Guest Book online obituaries.sandiegouniontribune.com