Rae Alma Sovel

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of RAE ALMA ROSS SOVEL on April 14, 2016, at the age of 91. Rae was born July 19, 1924, to Ida (Bobbi) and Henry Ross in Brooklyn, New York but settled in San Francisco, CA at the age of nine months. Her family dubbed her Bingo since Rae was such a grown up name for a little girl. The family moved around in Rae's early years but surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins, San Francisco was home. She attended Roosevelt Junior High School and up until quite recently The Roosevelt Girls met yearly. George Washington High School was her alma mater. Rae graduated early and was recognized as a California Scholarship Federation member for outstanding academic achievement. Rather than continue with her own education, Rae began her working career in order to make college possible for her brother, Alec. During WWII as Rae waited for Bill to come home, she was very active in the war effort working for the Veterinary Corps as a secretary. She could be found with her girlfriends dancing with the soldiers at the USO. In 1946, Rae Ross married William Sovel and moved to Corvallis, Oregon, where Rae worked to help with Bill's college education. Their son, Barry, was born in 1947, followed by a daughter, Terry Ann, born in 1949. In 1948, Rae and Bill moved back to Petaluma purchasing a ranch in Penngrove where they would raise their family. Though happily transplanted to the ranch life, Rae was very much a city girl with much time spent enjoying the culture and fun of living close to San Francisco. Raising two children, Rae was a Blue Bird and Cub Scout leader, always a room mother and a PTA mom. In the family business, Ben Sovel & Sons Poultry, Rae, along with her sister-in-law, Gerry, managed the books. Rae also taught ballroom dancing at an Arthur Murray studio. As an executive secretary, Rae worked at Petaluma Chamber of Commerce, Sonoma State College, The Labor Commission and The San Mateo Police Department. Bill and Rae left Petaluma for 20 years but upon retirement they came home in 1992. Married to Bill for 69 years, Rae was devoted to her family, being most proud of two children, her four granddaughters and nine great-grandchildren. Always Bingo or Bing to the grandkids, a more fun grandmother could not be found. Whether on a cruise, at a family dinner, wedding, or bat mitzvah, she had a joke or an observation that was hilarious...and sometimes a bit off-color! She was an artist, a writer, a loyal friend with a creative spirit and a sensitive soul. Rae was preceded in death by her husband Bill, her parents, and her brother, Alec Ross. She is survived by her brother, Laurence Ross; her children, Barry (Carol Newman) Sovel, Terry (Nathan) Piotrkowski; grandchildren, Lisa (Stephen) Thomas, Jaime (Jonathan) Shoemaker, Shaina Sovel and Ann (Mark) Hurd; and great-grandchildren, Cameryn, Alyson, Erin, Stephen (Phinn), Mackenzie, Cassie, Tessa, Alex and Austin. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in the name of Rae Alma Sovel to B'nai Israel Jewish Center, 740 Western Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952. Friends and family are invited to attend the Funeral Service, Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 10:00 am at the PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY & CREMATORY, 850 Keokuk St., Petaluma, CA. Interment: B'nai Israel Cemetery, Petaluma. Funeral Service

Parent-Sorensen Mortuary and Crematory

Sunday, April 17, 2016 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 850 Keokuk Street Petaluma, California 94952 Directions Interment

B'nai Israel Cemetery

Sunday, April 17, 2016 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM 430 Magnolia Avenue Petaluma, CA 94952 Directions